I'm Going Down In Flames For You
by GwenOwenforever
Summary: Gwen is faced with two decisions when she realises she's in love with both Owen and Rhys. Will she quit Torchwood and have a normal life with Rhys or will she leave Rhys for Owen? Then someone unexpectedly returns and changes everything.
1. Chapter 1

******Disclaimer:** I do not own anything, sadly. Wish I did though. =P

******A/N:** This is just something I pictured when I was listening to Katy Perry. (I'm sort of addicted to Katy Perry) I've re-written this because a better idea came to mind when I listened to the song again. It's sort of the same thing but a little different. I've given up trying to write something different! =P

Gwen watched Rhys storm out of their flat after their fourth argument that week. She sat down on the sofa with a sigh. She tried to remember how the argument started.

She'd come home early for once and they were enjoying a romantic meal together but she couldn't concentrate. Her thoughts wandered elsewhere and Rhys noticed her absence. When he'd commented on it, she'd snapped at him. She realised it was a little harsh but recently he'd been starting to irritate her.

Her phone vibrated and started to ring, Owen's name popped up on the screen. She growled when she looked at the screen and debated whether to answer it.

A week ago, he'd broken things off with her after what had happened with Diane and ever since they'd been at each other's throats.

She snatched up her phone and answered it.

"What do you want?" She snapped.

"Jack wants you at the Hub, we've got rift activity." He told her and put the phone down.

Her jaw clenched as she put the phone down.

Reluctantly, she made her way to the Hub.

She tried to ignore Owen as she entered but some invisible force turned her face to look at him. He was staring back at her. It was in that moment their eyes met that she knew she was in love with him and it was the reason why their arguments hurt her so much. They looked away quickly and she made her way over to Tosh's computer where everyone was gathered.

"I'm sorry if we disturbed anything." Jack said.

"Oh don't worry about it, there was nothing to disturb. Me and Rhys had another argument." She sighed.

"Maybe you should go home, sort things out. We'll be fine here." Jack suggested.

"No, Rhys will get over it. " She replied.

"You promised me you wouldn't let it drift." He pointed out.

Gwen looked away from him uncomfortably. She wanted to tell him that it was a bit late for that but she decided not to.

"So, I noticed that the rift spikes were starting to occur more frequently and they were a lot bigger than usual." Tosh said quickly, changing the subject. "Then when I checked the CCTV footage for anything strange I found this."

She pulled up the CCTV footage on her computer. A couple of Weevils climbed out of a manhole and stood in the middle of the street. They sniffed the air for a while before climbing into the sewers.

"What are they doing?" Owen asked.

"I don't know. It's like they can sense something coming." Jack frowned.

"Or waiting for something to happen." Gwen added.

"It's definitely not usual Weevil behaviour. They'd never miss the chance to hunt." Ianto told them.

"Exactly, that's what I don't understand. What's going on?" Tosh frowned.

"I don't know but I think we should keep a close eye on the Weevils in the cells, we might be able to figure out what the hell is going on." Jack told them.

"I'll check some more footage, see if I can find something that might help us." Gwen said.

"Like that's going to make any difference. You'll just find more or less the same thing." Owen mumbled.

"Well at least I'm trying to help. I don't see you doing anything helpful." Gwen retorted.

"What is there to do? Come on, you suggest something." He shouted.

She grabbed the nearest thing off the desk and held it up.

"I'll suggest something. I suggest you shove this stapler up your -"

"Ok you two, calm down. Just…stay away from each other and forget about it." Jack ordered.

"Don't worry Jack." Owen said. He turned around and glared at Gwen. "I already have."

Gwen felt a sharp stabbing pain in her chest. She felt the breath being knocked out of her and tears threatened to spill down her cheeks. Quickly, she turned on her heels and ran down to the vaults.

Owen suddenly felt guilty as he watched Jack run after her. He knew he shouldn't take things out on her, it wasn't her fault and he hadn't really meant it. She was all he could think about all day, every day and that's what made him angry. He'd just lost Diane and already he was thinking about another woman. Sitting down at his computer, he sighed and rubbed his forehead with his hand.

When Jack found Gwen, she was sitting on the floor with her back against the door of an empty cell, her knees pulled up to her chest. Tears spilled down her face as she sobbed into her hands. Jack sat down beside her and placed an arm around her shoulders.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what happened. Just ignore me I'm being silly." Gwen mumbled, wiping the tears from her face.

"No you're not. Gwen, I know how you feel about Owen and I know how much it hurts you when he acts like this. But you've got to understand how he feels too. Give him time to get over Diane and he'll come round." He told her.

"It's not just Owen, it's Rhys. Lately we've just…drifted apart and I don't think there's any way of saving our relationship." She whispered.

"I told you not to let the job consume you. Maybe you should think about finding another job. I know you can salvage your relationship with Rhys." Jack whispered.

"No, I'm not leaving. Even if I never joined Torchwood, we would have drifted eventually. I'm not leaving Torchwood and don't you dare try to retcon me." She warned.

Jack held his hands up in the air.

"I won't. That decision is up to you." He told her.

She nodded and stood up.

Jack shot a stern look at Owen as they made their way back up to the workstations. Gwen and Owen's eyes met for a brief second. She smiled sadly at him and looked away.

Gwen's phone vibrated, it was a message from Rhys. She didn't bother to read it.

"I'd better go home." She sighed.

"Think about what I said." Jack replied.

Gwen looked around the Hub and sighed. She nodded before leaving. Owen frowned as she left and looked at Jack.

"Think about what?" He asked.

Jack shook his head and went into his office.

When Gwen returned to her flat she saw Rhys sitting on the sofa. He glared up at her as she stood in front of him.

"You went to work didn't you?" He said. Gwen nodded slightly and bit her lip. "Well at least now I know which one you care more about."

"What are you on about?" She gasped.

Rhys stood up and pointed at her.

"You obviously weren't bothered by our argument." He shouted. "Well I'm not doing it any more, I'm not playing second best."

"Rhys you're the most important thing in my life." She whispered and stepped up to him. Taking his face between her hands, she looked into his eyes. She felt the love flow through her and she realised she was still in love with him. "I love you sweetheart. I am so sorry, I'll try my hardest to make things right with you again. I don't want to lose you."

Rhys' anger melted and he captured her lips in a gentle kiss.

"Just promise me one thing. Try not to let this job come between us." He murmured.

"I promise." She nodded. Taking her phone out of her pocket, she turned it off and threw it onto the table. "Tonight, it's just you and me."

Rhys smiled and pulled her into a passionate kiss.

The next morning, Gwen decided that she'd give it a week to try and balance things out between work and Rhys. If it didn't work, she'd let Jack retcon her and her and Rhys could live a normal life again.

As she thought about it, Owen's face flashed through her mind. She didn't want to forget him, she loved him too. Once she'd taken retcon though, she'd forget all about it. It'd be as if she'd never met him. Did she want that though?

She tried to avoid Owen as much as she could so it would make it easier if she decided to forget but something drew her closer to him.

Owen knew something was wrong and his impatience got the better of him.

As Gwen was making her way to the vaults with a Weevil, he followed her down. He waited for her to deal with it before cornering her.

"Gwen, what's going on?" He demanded.

She froze and looked into his eyes.

"Nothing, why?" She asked innocently.

"You know why. It's like you're trying to avoid me. Gwen, I'm sorry about the other day, I didn't mean it." He told her.

"I know. Neither of us meant what we said. We were just wound up and things got out of hand." She explained.

"Then why are you trying to avoid me?" He asked.

He stepped closer and he ran his hand down her arm. She backed away from him and looked at the floor.

"Owen, don't." She mumbled.

"Why? Tell me what's wrong?" He insisted and took another step forward.

As she stepped back, she felt her back press up against the wall.

"This…this is too hard. I love you Owen, but I'm with Rhys and I love him too. I can't do this." She whispered, looking into his eyes.

"You…love me?" He whispered.

Gwen pushed him away and ran out of the vaults. She made her way towards Jack's office, fighting back the tears. She hesitated as she reached for the door handle.

Taking a deep breath, she walked in and closed the door behind her. Jack looked up and smiled.

"Hey, anything I can do for you?" He smiled.

"I want you to do it." She told him.

Jack's smile disappeared as he realised what she was talking about.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked.

"Yes. I have to make things work with Rhys. I love him Jack." She whispered.

"Ok. I'll give you a minute to say goodbye to everyone." He said sadly.

"No, no goodbyes." She turned and looked out the window. Owen had followed her and was stood by the computers. He stared back at her, trying to make out what she was doing. "It'll only make this harder." She whispered.

"If you're sure –"

"Just do it." She insisted.

Owen watched Jack stand and pick up a box from his desk. He froze as he understood what was about to happen.

Jack placed the small white pill in her hand. She looked at it and took a deep breath. As Jack handed her a glass of water, Owen burst into the office.

"Gwen don't do this." He shouted.

She looked up at him and smiled sadly, a tear rolled down her face.

"I have to." She said quietly.

"No." He lunged forward and knocked the pill out of her hand just before it reached her lips. The glass slipped out of her fingers and crashed to the floor. No one took any notice of it. "I lost one woman I loved, I'm not doing it again."

"Owen please…" She sobbed.

"Gwen, I love you. Please don't do this." He begged.

He grabbed hold of her arms and forced her to look into his eyes.

"Owen I have to…Rhys…I can't lose him. I love him and this…this isn't helping." She cried.

"But you said you loved me too. You can't just throw that away." He argued.

She looked away and pulled out of his grasp.

"Gwen, could you wait outside a minute? I need to talk to Owen." Jack asked.

She nodded and left without looking at either of them. Owen watched her leave before turning back to Jack.

"You can't let her go." Owen said.

"This is what's best for Gwen. Don't you want that? Just look at her. She had a normal life before Torchwood and now she's watching that life go down in flames because of Torchwood." Jack argued.

"So, she can quit but she doesn't have to forget it all to live a normal life." Owen shouted.

"This is her decision." Jack told him.

"Fine." Owen shrugged. "She can forget about you, about Torchwood, but I won't let her forget me. If I have to introduce myself to her all over again, I'll do it. I'm not letting her go."

He stormed out of the office. He didn't look at Gwen as he passed her. She tried to grab his arm but he moved out of her way and left the Hub.

Taking a deep breath, she went back into Jack's office.

"Do you still want to do this?" He asked.

"Yes." She nodded and held her hand out for another pill. "Will he be ok?" She asked as Jack placed the pill in her hand.

"He'll be fine." Jack said.

Gwen noticed a worried look flash across his face before he pulled himself together.

"What did he say?" She demanded.

"Nothing, don't worry about it." Jack told her.

"Ok. When I…when I take it…take me home and if Rhys is there, tell him…I don't know. Just make up some story." She sighed.

Jack nodded as she took a deep breath.

Owen paced around his living room, thinking of ways to get Gwen on her own. There had to be a way. He sat down heavily on the sofa and held his head in his hands.

When the sun shone through the window the next morning, he realised he'd been sitting in the same position all night. He glanced at the time on his phone, it read eight-thirty. Jack would be expecting him at the Hub any minute now. Would Jack come looking for him if he didn't show up?

He found Gwen's number in his phone and sent her a message.

_"I need 2 c u. Meet  
me outside the  
Millennium Centre.  
Owen xxx"_

He waited nervously for a reply. Would she reply if she didn't recognise his number?

A couple of minutes later, he received a reply.

_"I'm sorry. I think u  
might have the wrong  
number."_

Owen growled and almost threw his phone across the room. She'd done it, Jack had let her take the retcon.

Not willing to give up, he replied to the text.

_"No, Gwen Cooper I  
have the right number.  
Please, meet me at the  
Millennium Centre.  
Owen xxx"_

Without waiting for another reply, he ran out to his car and sped off. He didn't know if she'd turn up but he had to try.

He waited for what seemed like a decade before he saw her walking towards him in the distance. She frowned at him as he ran up to her.

"Are you Owen?" She asked.

"Yeah. Gwen it's me. Please remember." He begged.

"Sorry I don't know…have we met before?" She frowned.

"Yes. Gwen it's me Owen Harper. We used to work together." He told her.

"No, I'm sorry. I can't -" Owen grabbed her waist and pulled her into him. She tried to push him away but he crushed his lips against hers. He pulled away and looked into her eyes. "Who the hell do you think you are? When my boyfriend finds out…"

Owen watched as a sad look crossed her face.

"Are you ok?" He asked.

She looked back at him and realised she was still in his arms. Pulling herself out of his grip, she turned away from him.

"I'm fine. It's just…well you won't have to worry about him. He…we broke up this morning." She mumbled.

"Why?" He asked. She turned round and looked at him. "Sorry, it's none of my business."

"No, it's fine." She sighed. "He said something about him seeing how hard it was for me to split myself between work and him. I don't understand what he meant. I've only just started working at the police station."

She frowned at him again. Owen waited to see if she'd remember.

"Do you remember what you did last night?" He said, trying to get her to think.

"I…no I can't. How do you know that?" She asked. "There was a man…in a blue shirt. We were in an office. Jack, his name was Jack."

"Jack, you remember him. Can you remember where this office was? Try to remember. Think, Gwen. There were three other people who worked there too. Try and remember them." Owen told her.

"Why is this so important to you?" She laughed.

"Just do this for me, please. It will help you understand why Rhys left too." He explained.

"I didn't tell you his name. How do you know so much about me? Who are you?" She asked, backing away.

"No, you're ok. I'm not going to hurt you. Look, just try to remember." He said.

"I…I trust you. Why do I – Owen. Owen Harper from Torchwood." She gasped.

Owen caught her before she fell to the floor. She gripped his arm as he pulled her up and into his chest to support her. Her eyes were wide as she gazed into his.

"Gwen? Do you remember? I love you." He whispered.

She nodded and pulled his face down to hers and kissed him.

"I love you too." She smiled.

Owen frowned as she began to laugh.

"What?" He asked.

"I didn't do it." She said. He shook his head, still not understanding what she meant. "I didn't take the retcon."

"You didn't? But why were you…I don't understand." He said.

"I was going to, I wanted so badly to make things right with Rhys. But in the end I couldn't do it. I couldn't forget you, I didn't ___want_ to forget you. Then I had to decide between you and Rhys. It was the hardest decision I've had to make in my life." She explained.

"So…who did you choose?" He whispered.

"I want to be with someone I don't have to keep secrets from, someone I don't have to lie to all the time. Rhys would have ended up getting hurt if he found out the truth. Plus, it was fun watching you trying to get me to remember." She told him.

"That's just cruel. Does that mean..?"

She nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I love you Owen Harper." She whispered. He kissed her passionately and felt tears of happiness in his eyes. She curled her fingers into his hair and pulled him closer. They broke apart for air, both grinning. "Come on, we'd better get to the Hub before Jack kills us." As they walked towards the tourist office, arms wrapped around each other she looked up at him and smiled. "Jack told me what you were going to do after I decided not to take the retcon. I don't think he thought you would actually do it though."

"Once I've set my mind on something, I don't go back on my word and I won't give up." He told her.

"I noticed." She laughed. As they reached the tourist office door, her thoughts turned to something else and she stopped laughing. "Owen, after Diane left, why did you call things off between us? And why have you been acting like you hate me?" She asked.

He stopped suddenly, surprised by what she'd said. He turned to face her and placed a hand under her chin.

"I have never hated you. When Diane left…I just needed time to get over it. Every time I saw you though, I couldn't stop thinking about how much I loved you, how much I've ___always _loved you. Then you were all I could think about and I was just so frustrated because I was moving on so quickly. It felt like I was betraying her. But I have never hated you and it hurts me to know that I made you feel that way." He explained.

She kissed him gently and cupped his face in her hands.

"It's ok, I understand. Don't feel bad about it." She whispered.

"Listen, tonight I am going to make it all up to you. I'll pick you up and I'm going to take you out for dinner. Then we can go wherever you want and do whatever you want." He told her.

"You don't have to do this." She smiled. "I don't mind if we just stay in and have a pizza as long as we're together."

"No I want to do this properly. It's our first proper date and I want everything to be perfect." He said.

"It will be." She told him.

Ianto appeared at the door and smiled.

"Sorry to disturb you but Jack sent me to tell you both to hurry up and get in." He said.

Owen rolled his eyes and mumbled under his breath. Gwen squeezed his hand and giggled.

"We're coming Ianto." She laughed.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I thought of this chapter after listening to Neutron Star Collision by Muse, as you can probably tell.

As they entered the Hub, Jack smiled at them.

"So what was it that you wanted us to hurry down for?" Owen asked.

"Nothing. It's just you were standing right in front of the CCTV cameras and watching you two was making me nauseous." Jack grinned.

"Well you didn't have to watch." Gwen shrugged.

"Yeah and you'd better get used to it." Owen told him.

He pulled Gwen tight to his chest and winked at Jack before crashing his lips onto hers. She was stunned for a few seconds but she was soon lost in the kiss. He held her face in his hands while she ran her fingers through his hair. It didn't take them long to forget they weren't the only ones in the room.

"Ok, I get it. Break it up you two." Jack shouted.

Owen broke away with a grin as Gwen leant into him slightly dazed. Jack rolled his eyes and went and sat in his office.

The rift was unusually quiet and all the paperwork had been completed leaving the team nothing to do. Gwen and Tosh sat at their computers, staring into space, Ianto had run out of things to tidy up and had already made everyone a coffee while Owen was down in the autopsy bay cleaning his autopsy equipment.

Owen switched on the radio to fill the silence of the Hub. Gwen smiled as a familiar song began to play.

"I love this song." She smiled.

"What is it?" Tosh asked.

"You've never heard this? It's called Neutron Star Collision by Muse." She told her.

She went down into the autopsy bay and sat on the steps so she could hear it better. Owen watched her and smiled as she sang along. She patted the space beside her on the step and he sat down next to her. As he placed his arm around her, she leant her head on his shoulder.

She sighed as the song ended.

"It's a beautiful song." Tosh sighed.

"It is. It's my favourite song. I just think the lyrics are so sweet." Gwen smiled.

"It's a shame men don't say those things in the real world." Tosh laughed.

"Yeah, you'd be very lucky to find one." She agreed.

"Oi, I am here you know." Owen said.

"Oh come on Owen. You'd never say anything sweet like that, it's just not you." She smiled.

"I can be sweet." He argued. She raised her eyebrows at him and laughed. "Alright, I'll prove it, tonight on our date."

"Alright." She nodded.

Jack came out of his office and joined the others.

"I don't like it when the rift is so quiet, makes me nervous. Something big always happens after something like this." He said.

"We'll manage, we always do." Gwen sighed.

"Yeah. Well, I guess there's no point in you all being here today so…go home." He shrugged.

"Are you sure?" Tosh asked.

"Well there's nothing to do here." He said.

"Ok, we'll see you tomorrow." Gwen nodded.

They all made their way out of the Hub.

As Gwen went to get in her car, Owen grabbed her arm and spun her round.

"Don't I get a goodbye kiss?" He pouted.

"Go on then." She sighed and rolled her eyes.

She smiled and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

"I'll pick you up at seven. I'll take you out for dinner and then wherever you want to go. See you later, love you." He said, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead before turning towards his car.

"I love you too." She called.

She climbed into her car and drove off, waving at him as she drove past.

By half past five, Gwen started to get restless. She took a shower and stayed in it for as long as she could, trying to take up as much time as she could so she wouldn't be waiting for too long. Then there was the problem of what to wear. She didn't want to be overdressed but she didn't want to be under-dressed. If only Owen had told her where exactly they would be going for dinner. Finally, she decided on a black floor length dress with a split that went to halfway up her thigh. It was backless and fastened around the neck. She chose small black heels and a little black purse to go with it.

At ten minutes to seven she was ready. She sat fidgeting on the sofa and watched the clock as she waited for Owen.

When it reached fifteen minutes past seven, she got up and looked out the window.

The minutes ticked on and she began to think he'd forgotten or decided not to show up. She turned and sat back on the sofa and waited.

She was just about to give up at quarter to eight when her phone rang.

"Hello?" She answered.

"It's me Owen. I'm outside now." He said. She put the phone down and ran outside to him. He climbed out the car and walked up to her. "I'm so sorry I'm late. My bloody car broke down and I've ended up borrowing a mates."

She laughed in relief and kissed him.

"It's ok, I forgive you." She told him.

"This is not how I wanted to start the evening." Owen sighed.

"It's fine honestly." She laughed.

Owen smiled and opened the car door for her.

"You look beautiful by the way." He told her.

"Thank you. You're looking very handsome too." She smiled.

He was wearing black trousers with a white shirt, the top three buttons undone, and a black jacket over the top.

As Gwen climbed inside the car, the split in her dress opened up revealing her bare leg. Owen swallowed and closed the door behind her. She grinned as he sat in the driver's seat.

"Miss Cooper, how does Italian cuisine sound to you?" He asked.

"We're a little overdressed for pizza." She laughed.

"I wasn't talking about pizza. There's a little Italian restaurant in town I thought we'd try." He said.

"Sounds good to me." She nodded.

When they reached the restaurant, they were shown to a table for two by the window overlooking the bay. Owen pulled out her chair and sat down across from her.

After they'd ordered, Owen reached across the table and held her hands. She smiled shyly and squeezed his hands gently.

"Gwen Cooper are you turning shy on me?" Owen laughed.

"No…" She mumbled and looked down at the table.

He let go of one of her hands and placed his under her chin, lifting her face. The waiter placed a bottle of red wine on the table along with two wine glasses. Owen nodded at him and looked back at Gwen. He gently kissed along her jaw line and down to her lips. As he kissed her, she sighed and placed her free hand on his cheek. The waiter returned with their meals and coughed quietly. Owen broke away and made space for the plates. Keeping his eyes on Gwen, he thanked the waiter.

"Wine?" Owen asked her.

"Yes please." She nodded.

He poured her a glass of wine and set it beside her plate.

As they ate, they fell into comfortable conversation.

Owen gave the waiter his credit card and waited for him to return.

"So where to next?" He asked.

"Anywhere. Surprise me." She replied.

"I was sort of hoping you'd say that. Come on, I've got just the place." He grinned. He stood up and held out his hand. Gwen took it and let him pull her up. Taking back his credit card, he led Gwen out of the restaurant. "It's not the most ideal or romantic place to go for a date but I promise you'll like it in the end."

Instead of heading back to the car, he took her across the road to a club. Gwen looked at him questioningly but he smiled at her and pulled her inside.

The club was alive with people dancing around and talking loudly. They made their way to the bar and sat down. Owen ordered their drinks and smiled at Gwen.

"What are we doing here?" She asked.

"You'll see. Give me a minute, I just need to go and do something." He told her.

She watched him walk up to the DJ. He handed him something and spoke to him. The DJ nodded. Owen made his way back to Gwen and took her hand again. He sat beside her and gazed into her eyes. Gwen's eyes widened as the DJ spoke.

"This song is dedicated to Gwen Cooper from Owen Harper. He loves you Gwen." He said over the microphone.

Neutron Star Collision began to play and she smiled at him.

"You remembered." She whispered.

"Of course I did. You only told us a couple of hours ago." He laughed.

She pulled him up and wrapped her arms around his waist. He placed his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

"I love you Owen." She whispered.

"Gwen Cooper, I love you too." He smiled.

At the end of the night, they left the club hand in hand. Gwen looked around for the car.

"Where is it? Oh my God it's been stolen." She panicked.

"Don't worry. I asked my mate to pick it up earlier. He's got a spare set of keys so it's alright. I can't exactly drive you home can I?" He laughed.

"Oh, no I guess not." She smiled.

"I'll get a taxi and take you home." He said.

Gwen nodded and shivered. The night had turned cold and she'd forgotten her jacket. Owen took off his jacket and wrapped it around her.

"Thanks." She whispered.

When they got in the taxi, Gwen leant her head on Owen's shoulder.

"So, do you still think I can't be sweet?" He laughed.

"No, you proved me wrong. You can be very sweet." She smiled up at him and kissed him. When the taxi arrived outside her flat, she turned to him. "Thank you for tonight, it was wonderful. I love you."

She gave him a quick kiss on the lips and reached for the door handle. Her hand froze as she looked out of the window, her other hand grabbed Owen's arm.

"Gwen, what's wrong?" He asked.

"Tha-that's Rhys' car. What's he doing here?" She whispered. "Owen, come with me."

"Don't you think it's better if you spoke to him alone?" Owen suggested.

"No, I need you to come with me. If you don't…I'll do something I'll regret. Please come in with me." She begged.

"If you think it will help." He nodded.

Owen paid the taxi driver and climbed out. Gwen clutched his hand tightly as they made their way inside.

She let them in with her key and took a deep breath. Rhys was sat on the sofa. He frowned when he saw Owen.

"Rhys, what are you doing here?" She asked, trying to keep her voice from breaking.

"I live here…with you." He frowned, staring at Owen.

"We broke up. You left this morning." She told him.

"I…I thought it was just a fight. We're not really over…are we?" He asked.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

Tears slid down her cheeks and she hid her face in Owen's shoulder.

"What? Who's he?" Rhys asked.

"This is Owen. I told you about him this morning." Gwen said.

Rhys nodded and looked away, tears glistening in his eyes. She walked over to him and sat down next to him. Owen stood uncomfortably where he was. Rhys looked at her and completely ignored Owen. Taking Gwen's face in his hands, he looked into her eyes.

"I love you. Please don't do this." He begged.

"I love you too, but I'm sorry. It's too complicated this way." She sobbed.

"We can make it work, I know we can." Rhys told her.

"I…" She looked between Rhys and Owen. "No, I'm sorry but we can't." She walked over to Owen and put her hand in his. "I love Owen."

Rhys nodded and walked out of the flat. She turned to Owen and broke down in tears in his arms.

"Come on, sit down." He whispered and led her over to the sofa.

She curled up onto his lap and cried into his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry I've ruined tonight." She whispered.

"No you haven't. It's fine honestly. You've made this night the best night of my life by just coming out with me." He reassured her. There was a short silence before Owen asked. "If I hadn't have come in with you…what would you have done that you would have regretted?"

"I probably would have said yes to him." She told him.

"Maybe you should have. You and Rhys…there's just so much history…maybe you're meant to be together." He whispered.

"No. Me and Rhys…we might have a history but there's no future. You're my future." She said, gazing into his eyes.

Placing a kiss on his lips, she flipped herself so she was facing him and straddling his lap. Her hands curled into his hair, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss. He pulled away and turned his face away.

"Gwen, this is a bad idea. You're upset and I don't think this is the best way to fix that." He told her.

"Please Owen. I need this. I need to forget, just for tonight. Please, make me forget." She begged.

"I can't. I'd feel like I was taking advantage." He mumbled.

"But you're not. I love you, please do this for me." She whispered.

He ran his fingers through her hair and nodded slightly. Stroking her cheek with his thumb, he gently kissed her. She pulled herself tighter to him causing him to moan loudly. He flipped them so Gwen was lying down on the sofa while he hovered over her. She grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him down on top of her.

"I love you." He breathed and crushed his lips onto hers.

Later, Gwen rested her head on Owen's chest and held his hand, locking her fingers with his. He wrapped his arm tight around her.

"My love will be forever." She sang quietly.

"And we'll die, we'll die together." Owen smiled. "I can see why you like that song. It is pretty cool."

"It's amazing." She yawned.

Her eyes began to close. Owen gently moved out from underneath her and picked her up. He carried her into her room and placed her gently on the bed. He slipped in next to her and pulled the duvet over them. She curled up into his chest and fell asleep.

After a few minutes of watching her sleep, he kissed her forehead and drifted off.

Back at the Hub, Jack had called Toshiko in to check some unusual rift spikes. She was flicking through the CCTV cameras when something caught her eye.

"Jack, I think you need to see this." She called over her shoulder.

Jack stepped up beside her and looked at the image on the screen. An old familiar aeroplane was parked on a runway, the name clearly visible. The 'Sky Gypsy' had once again appeared in the middle of Cardiff.

"I think we'd better call Owen." Jack said.

"Are you sure? He's just got over the whole Diane business, this could mess him up all over again." Tosh argued.

"He has a right to know." He insisted.

He picked up his phone and dialled Owen's number.

Owen woke up when he heard his phone ringing. He slipped out from beside a sleeping Gwen and went to answer it.

"Jack, what do you want? It's two in the morning." Owen moaned.

"I know but there's something you need to see. You need to come to the Hub, now." Jack told him.

The tone of Jack's voice was enough to tell Owen not to argue back.

"I'm on my way." He sighed and put the phone down.

He found a pen and a piece of paper and scribbled a quick note to Gwen. Owen pulled his clothes back on and went back to the bedroom where Gwen lay sleeping. Placing the note on the pillow next to her, he bent down and kissed her forehead. He sighed and made his way out of her flat and to the Hub.

Jack looked up as he entered.

"I'm sorry if I interrupted anything." Jack smiled.

Owen rolled his eyes and made his way over to Tosh's computer.

"What is it?" He asked. Tosh pulled up the footage of the plane causing Owen to freeze. "No, it's not possible."


	3. Chapter 3

"We've had some strange rift spikes that could have caused this to happen." Jack told him.

"But it's not possible. There's no way she could have come back. How is this possible?" Owen shouted.

"I don't know." Jack admitted.

Owen looked away from the screen and ran his hand through his hair. For weeks he'd been waiting for something like this to happen, even though he knew there was no chance it could happen.

"Is she still in the plane?" He asked.

"No. I called the air force and they went out to take a look. They said the plane was empty and there was no damage to the plane itself." Tosh informed him.

"We have to find her." Owen said.

"She could be anywhere by now and there's nothing we can do that we haven't tried already. We tried to give her a new life here but she couldn't cope. We have to let her go her own way. It's what's best for her." Jack argued.

"She might be injured. There might not be any damage to the plane but who knows what could have happened to her. How is she going to explain what happened to her to a normal doctor?" Owen shouted.

"Fine, but if we can't find her by the end of today, we give up." Jack told him.

"Ok, then let's start searching. Tosh you keep an eye on that plane and let us know if she goes back to it." He said.

"Will do." Tosh called as he and Jack ran out of the Hub.

A few hours later, the alarms sounded and Gwen walked in through the rolling door.

"Morning Tosh." She smiled. Gwen made her way to the autopsy bay to find Owen. When she found it empty, she frowned and went back over to Tosh. "Where's Owen?"

"Oh, he and Jack went out to find…" Tosh's voice trailed off as Gwen stared at the screen.

"Diane." Gwen whispered. "When…how…is she back for good?"

"We don't know. There's been no sign of her yet." Tosh told her.

"Oh. How's Owen? Did he say anything?" Gwen demanded.

Tosh just shook her head and shrugged as she sat down. Ianto appeared from the kitchenette and placed a steaming cup of coffee on her desk. She nodded at him and looked back at the monitor.

"Tosh, we've found her. She seems ok but we're bringing her back to the Hub for a quick check up anyway." Owen's voice said over the comms.

Gwen fumbled on her desk and found her comms. She shoved it in her ear and turned it on.

"Hey sweetheart." She said.

"Hey Gwen. Listen, I'm sorry about leaving without saying goodbye, I didn't want to wake you." He explained.

"It's ok. I got your note and I understand, I'm used to the calls to go into work at early hours in the morning." She laughed.

"Yeah. I'm on my way back to the Hub, I'll see you in a moment." He said.

"Ok. See you in a bit and I love you." She said.

"Love you too." He replied.

She smiled and felt herself relax a little. Diane's appearance hadn't changed the way he felt about her. However there was still the question of whether he'd stay with her now Diane was back. Did he love Diane more than he loved her? Would he wish he was with Diane while he was with her? She tried to push her doubts to the back of her mind.

Minutes later, Owen, Jack and Diane entered the Hub. She smiled at Owen as he walked towards her. She stood up and noticed how he avoided eye contact with her.

"Is everything ok?" She asked.

"Fine, everything's fine…sleep well?" He replied.

She nodded and hoped her smile didn't look too forced. Jack took Diane down to the autopsy bay and waited for Owen. Owen finally made eye contact with Gwen. He was about to say something when Jack shouted up to him.

"Owen, we haven't got all day." He called.

"I'm coming Jack." Owen sighed.

He made his way down to the autopsy bay without another glance at Gwen. She sat down and took a deep breath.

Owen stood in front of Diane as she sat down on the metal table.

"There's nothing wrong with me honestly." She protested.

"We just want to be sure. As soon as we've done these tests, you can go." Jack told her.

She sighed and took off her jacket. Ianto appeared on the balcony.

"Jack, there's a phone call for you." He said.

"Who is it?" Jack asked.

"UNIT. They want to know if you've figured out what that alien technology was." Ianto replied.

"I've told them already. Tell them…forget it, I'm coming." Jack sighed.

Jack walked out of the autopsy bay with Ianto and made his way to his office leaving Owen with Diane. An awkward silence followed and neither of them made eye contact.

"So…where did you end up?" Owen asked after a few minutes.

"I don't really know. One minute I was here and the next I was flying across purple skies." She smiled.

"How did you get back?" He asked.

"Well, I needed to refuel and get supplies so I started to land. It went cloudy and it started to rain and then…I was here." She told him. Owen frowned and continued to do the tests. "It's good to see you again. How are you?"

"Good, I'm good. You?" He answered.

"Yeah, I'm…good." She nodded. As he prepared her arm for a blood test, she placed her hand on top of his. "I've missed you."

He looked down at her hand for a few seconds and then moved his from under it. He turned to pick up his needle.

"It's your own fault. You left when you could've stayed…with me." He mumbled.

As he picked up his needle, he turned around and looked at her for the first time. She was looking back at him sadly.

"I know but…it's complicated." She sighed. "Are you seeing anyone at the moment?"

"Yes, I am actually. Gwen, in fact." He told her.

"Oh…that's nice." She nodded.

"Yeah, I've actually liked her for some time now and well…I'm completely in love with her." Owen said.

Diane looked away from him as he proceeded to take the test.

After he'd finished the tests, she stood up and put her jacket back on. She watched him as he cleaned his equipment.

"I guess this is goodbye." She said.

"I suppose it is." He nodded.

She walked up to him and looked into his eyes. Taking his face in her hand, she gently kissed him. Owen found himself kissing her back.

Jack stood in the doorway of his office, still on the phone.

"Gwen, could you go and ask Owen how much longer he's going to be? We haven't got all day." He called.

"Sure." She nodded.

"When you get back, you have to tell me how your date went with Owen last night." Tosh told her.

Gwen smiled and rolled her eyes. She walked out onto the balcony overlooking the autopsy bay and froze. A gasp escaped her lips causing Owen to break away from Diane and look up. His eyes widened and he struggled to find the right words. Gwen walked away and felt the tears burning in her eyes.

"Gwen." Owen called but it was too late, she'd grabbed her jacket and was running out of the Hub.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean -"

Owen turned to glare at Diane, silencing her. She looked away sadly. He turned and ran out of the room.

"What's wrong with Gwen?" Tosh asked.

Owen ignored her and continued out of the Hub. Diane slowly made her way up to the main area of the Hub.

"I'm afraid it's my fault." She confessed. Tosh frowned at her questioningly. "I…I kissed Owen when she walked in."

Owen walked out into the car park and spotted Gwen's car still parked in it's usual spot. He could just make out her form sitting in the driver's seat. Her shoulders were hunched and her face was in her hands. He walked over to the car and opened the passenger's side door. As he sat down in the seat, she quickly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and stared out of the windscreen.

"Gwen, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for that to happen. She kissed me and I just…I don't know what happened." He told her.

"No, it's ok. I should have seen this coming. I'm just being silly." She sighed.

"What do you mean?" He frowned.

"Well, you've wanted Diane to come back for a long time. Now she's back, it's natural to want to get back together." She shrugged.

"No, Gwen I don't want to get back together with her. She took me by surprise." He said.

"But you still have feelings for her." She said looking at him for the first time.

He looked away from her and she smiled sadly.

"I don't know how I feel. But whatever I feel about Diane will never get in the way of how I feel about you. I love you Gwen and no one is going to change that." He told her.

A tear slid down her face as he took her hand in his. He wiped it away with his other hand.

"Are you sure? You're not going to change your mind and wish you were with Diane?" She asked.

"Never. I told you, I love you. It's you I want, it's always been you." He said.

She smiled and put her other hand on top of Owen's which was entwined with hers. Leaning across, he kissed her gently and ran his free hand through her hair.

"Come on, we should probably go back now." She whispered.

He nodded and kissed her again before leaving the car. As they walked back into the Hub, he wrapped his arm around her waist.

"You know, you're sort of cute when you're jealous." He smirked.

She hit him on the arm and shook her head.

"I wasn't jealous, I was upset. I thought I was going to lose you." She told him.

"You can't get rid of me that easily and jealous or not, it was still cute." He smiled.

She rolled her eyes at him and sighed.

As they entered the Hub, all heads turned to them.

"Where the hell have you two been?" Jack demanded.

"Sorry, we had to…sort some things out." Gwen mumbled.

"Well can we get on with some work please? Owen, have you finished the tests?" He asked.

"Yes, everything's fine. Diane's free to go." Own replied.

"Ok, give me five minutes and I'll give you a lift back to your plane." Jack told Diane.

She nodded and smiled. Jack disappeared into his office while Owen went down to the autopsy bay to put away his equipment.

"Gwen, can I speak to you for a minute?" Diane asked.

"Erm…yeah sure." She nodded in surprise. "The meeting room's free if you want to go up there."

She turned and led the way up to the meeting room while Diane followed. Neither of them had spoken to each other much and both felt awkward as Gwen closed the door behind her.

"I want to apologise. I shouldn't have kissed Owen. I don't know what came over me." Diane explained.

"It's ok, I understand. I know it must be hard for you to come back and find out he's moved on. You have no idea how guilty he felt about that." Gwen told her.

"It is hard, but seeing him happy again…it makes me happy." Diane smiled and Gwen smiled back at her shyly. A few seconds passed before Diane's expression became sad. She turned away and looked out of the window at the main area of the Hub. "I need to tell you something." She whispered.

"What is it?" Gwen asked.

Diane turned back to Gwen, a hand resting on her stomach.

"I'm – I think…I think I'm pregnant." She answered.


	4. Chapter 4

Gwen's eyes widened and fell to Diane's hand on her stomach. She turned and started towards the door.

"You need to tell Owen, he has to know. I'll go send him up and you can -"

"No, don't." Diane grabbed her arm. "I don't want him to find out, at least not yet. I don't even know if I'm definitely pregnant. If I tell him, he'll try and keep me here and that's not what I want. Gwen…can you help me find out?"

Gwen looked at her and then over her shoulder out of the window at Owen. She looked back at Diane and nodded.

"Come on." Gwen said, pulling Diane out of the room. She let go as they entered the main area. Owen frowned at her in confusion as she walked over to him. "I'm taking Diane out for some last minute shopping before she leaves. I'll be back in a bit." She smiled.

"Erm…sure. That's a good idea, need me to come with you?" He asked in surprise.

"No." Diane and Gwen shouted.

"Ok…I won't come then." Owen frowned.

"It's just that we don't want to bore you with all that girly stuff." Gwen told him. She gave him a quick peck on the lips. "See you later."

Owen watched her and Diane disappear through the rolling door.

Diane followed Gwen to her car and got in.

"Thank you." She said as Gwen started the engine.

"What for?" Gwen asked.

"For helping me do this. I wasn't sure you would after what happened. I was planning to do this alone but then when you came back…I don't know why, but I thought maybe you could help me." She answered.

"But why me? Why didn't you ask one of the others?" She asked curiously.

"You're more understanding and forgiving than the others, you proved that to me after I apologised for kissing Owen. The others seemed…angry when I told them what had happened." Diane sighed.

Gwen drove to the nearest chemist and parked outside. She told Diane to wait in the car while she popped inside. After scanning through the different types of pregnancy tests, she picked the one she thought would be the most reliable.

When she climbed back in the car, she handed the little brown bag with the test inside to Diane.

"Right, we'll go back to my flat and you can take the test there." She told Diane.

"Test? Don't I have to go to a doctor?" Diane frowned.

"These days there are tests you can do yourself without having to see a doctor. I'm actually surprised that was one of the tests Owen didn't do." Gwen explained.

She pulled up outside her flat and led Diane inside. Taking the bag back off Diane, she pulled out the pregnancy test and took it out of the box.

"This is a pregnancy test. All you have to do is…ahem…pee on this end and wait for three minutes. If it turns blue, you're pregnant. If it doesn't then you're not. The bathroom's just through there."

She held out the test and Diane took it, looking at it nervously. Gwen watched as Diane slowly made her way to the bathroom. Deciding to make a cup of tea for them both while they waited, she began to think about what would happen if the test came back positive. Would she stay? Surely she couldn't fly with a child to look after. How would Owen react? She wasn't exactly sure how he'd take it and to be honest, he wasn't exactly the father type.

Diane entered the room as Gwen placed two cups of tea on the counter.

"And now we wait." Diane sighed.

"Have you thought about what you're going to do if you are pregnant?" Gwen asked.

"I don't know what I'm going to do." She admitted.

"You won't be able to fly with the baby, it's too dangerous. You…you can stay with me until we find you somewhere to live. Owen will support you through this too, I know he will." Gwen told her.

"You and I both know he's not ready for something like this." Diane laughed.

"Yes, but even he won't turn his back on his child." Gwen said seriously.

Diane nodded and sipped her tea.

Both women fidgeted uncomfortably and glanced at the clock every couple of seconds. Three minutes felt like three hours to them.

Diane went to fetch the test from the bathroom while Gwen waited nervously in the kitchen. She emerged holding the test in her hand.

"What did it mean if it turned blue?" Diane asked.

"It means…it means you're pregnant." Gwen whispered.

"Then I'm not…I'm not pregnant." She replied. She held the test up for Gwen to see. "It's clear."

Gwen stood, frozen, watching Diane's expression. She seemed relieved but Gwen could detect a slight feeling of sadness in her eyes.

"Diane?" She whispered.

"You know, I was actually starting to look forward to having a baby. But in a way I'm glad I'm not. There are just so many complications." Diane sighed.

Gwen's phone began to ring, breaking the silence that had fallen in the room. She checked the name on the screen before answering. Grabbing the test from Diane's hand, she threw it in the bin and answered the phone. She almost laughed out loud when she remembered he couldn't see them and her actions were unnecessary.

"Hey sweetheart." She smiled.

"Hey, you two having a nice time shopping?" Owen's voice asked.

"Shopping? What…oh yes…erm, actually we didn't find anything we liked so I brought Diane back to mine for a cup of tea. We were just having a bit of a gossip, you know." She told him.

"Hope you weren't talking about me." He replied.

"Well…your name did get mentioned once or twice." She teased.

"Oh really? Now you're making me nervous." He admitted. "Anyway, Jack was wondering how much longer you were going to be."

"That man is so impatient. Tell him we're on our way." Gwen sighed.

"Ok, will do. See you later and I love you." He said.

"Love you too." She smiled and put the phone down. "We'd better get back to the Hub." Gwen sighed and rolled her eyes at Diane.

Diane smiled and rolled her eyes back.

When the two of them returned to the Hub, Owen greeted Gwen with a hug and a kiss.

"Diane, are you ready to go?" Jack asked her.

She nodded and smiled at him. Tosh and Ianto said goodbye to her and went back to their work. Owen nodded his head and smiled a little at her. He was surprised when Gwen pulled herself out of his arms and hugged Diane tightly.

"Thank you again for our…little shopping trip." Diane said hinting.

"You're welcome." Gwen smiled. She hugged her again and whispered in her ear. "And I'm so sorry. I know you wanted it to be positive."

When Gwen broke away, Diane nodded sadly. Owen watched, confused and surprised at the exchange between the two women. He had not expected this. He thought there would be a bit of conflict between them. Jack smiled at Diane and motioned for her to follow.

"Goodbye and…you can tell him now." Diane smiled and waved before turning and following Jack out of the Hub.

When Gwen looked back at Owen, she saw him frowning at her.

"What?" She asked.

"Since when were you and Diane best friends and what did she mean by 'you can tell him now'?" He asked.

"Yeah…we should probably talk. Erm…" She pulled him down into the autopsy bay and sat with him on the steps. Taking one of his hands in both of hers, she looked into his eyes. "Promise me you'll let me finish before you say anything."

"I promise. Gwen what's going on?" He demanded.

"Ok…well…when you and I came back into the Hub, Diane wanted to speak to me so I took her up to the meeting room. She apologised for kissing you and…and she told me she thought she was pregnant." Gwen watched as his face froze in shock. She waited for him to say something despite his promise but he remained silent. She took this as her cue to continue. "She asked me to help her find out and I said yes. I wanted to tell you but she asked me not to, not until she was sure. So I made up the story about us going shopping and I took her to get a pregnancy test. It came back negative."

She waited for Owen to say something. He seemed to be completely frozen, he looked as though he'd turned into a statue.

After a few minutes, he seemed to come back to life.

"She – she thought she was…pregnant? With my baby?" He managed to say. She nodded and waited for him to say more. "Was she planning on telling me if she was pregnant?"

"Of course she was. I mean, she was afraid of how you would react but she was going to tell you." Gwen answered.

"Why didn't she tell me before? Why didn't you tell me?" He shouted and stood up.

"Because she was scared Owen, and I didn't want to complicate the situation any more." Gwen argued.

"You shouldn't have gotten involved, it was none of your business." Owen growled.

Gwen stood up.

"I was only trying to help her. She's not even pregnant so why does it matter so much?" She said.

"Because what if she was pregnant? How can you be sure she was going to tell me?" He asked.

"If she didn't tell you, I would." She told him.

"Would you though? You said yourself, you didn't tell me because she asked you not to." He argued.

"With something as important as that, I would have told you. I would never have kept something like that from you." She said. He nodded his head once at her. Walking up to him, she took his face in her hands. "I promise you, it's the truth."

"I believe you. I'm sorry, I just…got annoyed that no one told me but I understand why you didn't." He whispered.

She smiled and kissed him gently, feeling his tense body relax as he kissed her back.


	5. Chapter 5

A few weeks later, Gwen and Owen were sat in her flat waiting for her parents to arrive. Owen was nervously playing with their entwined hands.

"Relax, they're going to love you. I should be the one worrying, they're bound to say something embarrassing." Gwen laughed.

"Remind me why I'm doing this again." He sighed.

"Because you're my boyfriend and they're curious about you." She told him.

"What did you tell them about me?" He asked.

"That I met you at work and that I love you." She answered.

"You didn't tell them about us shagging behind Rhys' back?" He asked.

"Of course I didn't! They'd kill me. You see, they have…traditional old fashioned views on relationships. I have to warn you, they may ask some…awkward questions." She warned him.

Owen gave her a 'not helping' look and turned away. The phone on the wall began to ring causing Gwen to jump up off the sofa. She ran across the room and answered it.

"Hello duckling, it's us." Her father's voice said.

"Hey dad, I'll let you in." She answered and pressed the button.

As she turned back to Owen, he stood up quickly.

"I should probably go…Jack said he needed me…lots of paperwork and…stuff." He mumbled.

"I checked with Jack earlier, there's nothing to do that he can't do himself." She told him. "Nice try though."

"It was worth a shot." He sighed.

Gwen's parents knocked on the door. She stared at it, unmoving. Taking a deep breath, she opened it and smiled. Her mother pulled her into a tight hug, squeezing the breath out of her.

"It's so good to see you." Mary smiled.

She let Gwen go as her father reached towards her. He pulled Gwen into a hug and smiled. When he let go, she smiled nervously and led them into the living room where Owen was waiting.

"Mum, dad, this is Owen." She said.

Owen smiled at them and shook Geraint's hand.

"Gwen's told us a lot about you. She seems very fond of you." Mary said.

Gwen took two stools from around the small kitchen table and placed them facing the sofa.

"Sit down while I make a cup of tea." She said.

Owen let them take the sofa while he sat on one of the stools. An uncomfortable silence fell as Gwen's parents stared at Owen. He looked away uncomfortably and watched Gwen making the drinks. She turned around to face him and urged him to speak to them.

"So…you work with Gwen at the police station?" Geraint asked.

"Erm..." Owen looked up at Gwen who was nodding quickly. "Yes…yes I do." He answered.

"Which department?" Geraint enquired.

"I work in the same department." He told them.

"Yeah, he joined a couple of months back and they asked me to show him the ropes." Gwen said, helping him out.

She placed a cup of tea in front of each of them on the table and went back to get hers and Owen's.

"Is that how you two got to know each other?" Mary asked.

"Yeah, it was. To be honest, when I first met Owen, I thought he was a bit of an arse." Gwen said truthfully.

Gwen's parents looked at her in surprise as she sat on the stool next to Owen. She handed him his cup of tea and turned back to her parents.

"So…Owen, do you intend to marry our little duckling?" Geraint asked, getting straight to the point.

Owen looked up at him, his eyes wide.

"Well…actually, yes I do." He turned to Gwen and smiled. "It's too soon now of course but someday in the future, I'd like to think we'd get married."

She smiled shyly at him and took his hand in hers, a slight blush tainting her cheeks. He ran his thumb across her palm and turned back to her parents.

"And will there be any children in the future?" Geraint asked as Owen took a sip of his tea.

Owen choked and almost spat out his tea as Gwen stared wide-eyed at her dad.

"Dad, it's a little too soon to be thinking about children isn't it?" She said.

"It's never too soon. You have to start planning these things you see. An unexpected pregnancy is very common these days and it's best to be ready if one should occur." Geraint told her.

"Oh, there's no need to worry about that Mr Cooper. Gwen and I are very careful when it comes to having -" Gwen elbowed him in the ribs and glared at him. "That department."

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and avoided making eye contact with her parents. She turned to them and laughed nervously, a forced smile on her face.

"Rhys wanted children." Geraint said.

Gwen glared at him and sighed. She shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Gwen can I have a word?" Mary asked.

She put her cup down and followed her mother out of the room and into her bedroom. Owen felt uncomfortable as he sat in the living room alone with her father.

Gwen closed the door behind her and turned to face her mum.

"Sorry about Owen, he's always a bit blunt." Gwen explained.

"No it's not about that. Gwen…are you happy with Owen?" She asked.

"Of course I am. I love Owen." She frowned.

"You loved Rhys too." Her mother pointed out.

"Mum, don't." Gwen sighed, putting her head in her hands.

"What happened with you and Rhys? You two were so happy and you had your future planned. This Owen comes along and…it's all gone." Mary told her.

"It's complicated mum. I did love Rhys but it was hard to balance him and work. With Owen, I don't have to do that. He understands how mad this job can get." Gwen explained.

"But what about your future?" She argued.

"Mum, me and Owen are taking this slow. We've both come out of relationships that ended badly and we want this to work." She told her.

Gwen's mum watched her for a while and then smiled.

As they made their way out, Owen smiled in relief at Gwen. He grabbed her hand as she sat down and squeezed it tightly.

"Everything ok?" He asked.

"Everything's fine." Mary smiled. "Gwen seems to think a lot of you and I'm happy she's found someone special."

"She's very special to me." Owen told her.

"I can see that." Geraint said, looking at their entwined hands.

After another uncomfortable silence, Gwen started to explain more about her and Owen's relationship. Owen kept glancing up nervously as he could feel Geraint's cold stare. It did not go unnoticed by Gwen and she tried to lighten the mood.

By seven o'clock, she'd run out of things to say and slouched in her chair, defeated.

"We'd better get going, we still need to go shopping and fetch your prescription, if the shops are still open that is." Mary sighed.

All four stood up to say goodbye. Gwen kissed her parents on the cheek and hugged them.

"Thanks for coming." She smiled.

Mary pulled Owen into a hug, surprising both him and Gwen.

"You look after my baby girl." She told him.

"I will Mrs Cooper. I promise." He smiled.

She nodded and smiled.

"Call me Mary dear." She said.

Geraint shook Owen's hand and left with his wife.

"Well…that went…ok. Your dad doesn't like me though." He sighed.

"It probably didn't help when you mentioned our sex life." Gwen laughed.

"I didn't mean to. I just wanted to let him know that we were being safe." Owen argued.

Gwen shook her head and laughed at him.

"Whose turn is it tonight?" She asked.

"It's your turn to stay at mine." He answered.

"Ok, give me a minute to get some stuff." She said.

"You've got some stuff at mine already " He told her.

"Oh yeah, come on then." She smiled, grabbing her handbag.

As Owen drove them towards his flat, a figure ran across the road a few feet ahead.

"Was that -?"

"Blowfish. You ring Jack, I'll go after it." Gwen sighed.

She pulled her gun out from her handbag and checked to see if it was loaded. Owen pulled up and Gwen jumped out. She ran after it as he pulled out his phone. Jack answered on the second ring.

"Jack, we've got a Blowfish on the loose on St Mary's. Gwen's just gone after it. Bring the SUV so we can take it –" Owen was cut off as he heard a scream followed by two gunshots. "Gwen!"

Owen jumped out of the car and ran after her.

"Owen, what's happened?" Jack's voice demanded.

As Owen rounded the corner, he saw a figure lying on the floor in a pool of blood. He prayed that it was the Blowfish and not Gwen but he couldn't see her anywhere. His heart pounded in his chest the closer he got.

"Oh my God." He gasped.

"What the hell is going on?" Jack's voice demanded.

"It shot her." Owen knelt beside the body. "It shot Gwen."

"I'm on my way." Jack replied.

The phone line went dead as Owen looked down at Gwen's face. Her eyes were closed and her breathing coming out in ragged breaths. He rang for an ambulance, shouting at the operator when she told him how long it would take for it to get there. Owen looked down at Gwen, there was a bullet hole in the centre of her chest, blood spilling out. He placed his arms around her and held her tight in his lap. Tears burned his eyes as he took in the sight.

"Gwen, can you hear me? Open your eyes sweetheart. Come on, please Gwen, open your eyes." He begged.

Gwen coughed, blood trickling out of her mouth. She tried to open her eyes but her eyelids felt heavy. He looked around for the Blowfish but he couldn't see it. Gwen's gun had disappeared, the Blowfish was armed. Owen checked her over for the second gunshot wound but found none. Looking up, he saw the bullet lodged in the wall behind him. Gwen reached up clumsily and gripped onto the front of his jacket, her hands covered in blood.

"O-Owen." She gasped.

She coughed again and went limp in his arms. The hand clutching his jacket fell across her chest.

"No, Gwen. Open your eyes. Come on, darling, stay with me." He pleaded.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up to see Jack running towards him with Ianto not far behind.

"Where is it?" Jack asked.

"I don't know, it was gone by the time I got to her." He sobbed.

Ianto ran off in search of the Blowfish, his gun held out in front of him. Jack knelt beside Owen and put his hand on his shoulder. The Captain could feel the younger man shaking as he looked down at Gwen who was barely breathing.

"She'll pull through, you'll see. She's a fighter." Jack told him.

"I love her so much Jack. Why is it that everyone I've ever loved is taken away from me? Katie…Diane…and now Gwen." He sobbed.

The ambulance arrived and minutes later, the sound of the paramedic's footsteps drew near. Owen clung onto Gwen's body and refused to allow them to touch her. Ianto returned and stood watching.

"There's no trace of it." He told them.

"Tosh can track it tomorrow." Jack said.

Jack stood up and pulled Owen with him, covered in blood. Owen protested and tried to pull himself out of his grasp. Ianto grabbed hold of his other arm as the paramedics lifted her onto a stretcher.

"Let me go. Don't touch her, let me do it." Owen screamed.

"Owen, let them do their job. Go wait in the ambulance." Jack ordered.

"What's the point in being a doctor when you can't even help the woman you love?" Owen shouted.

"Owen, calm down. I'm not letting you go until you calm down." Jack shouted back.

Owen watched as Gwen was placed in the back of the ambulance, an oxygen mask over her mouth and nose.

"We have to go, now. Her condition is critical." The paramedic told them.

Ianto felt the gun being pulled out of his hand. He turned and saw Owen holding it tightly.

"What are you doing?" Ianto asked.

"I'm going after that thing. If she dies, so does it." Owen snarled and ran off.

"What do we do?" Ianto asked.

"You go with Gwen, I'll go after Owen." He ordered.

Ianto nodded and jumped into the ambulance. Jack watched it drive off, it's blue lights flashing and sirens blaring out. When it turned a corner, Jack ran after Owen.

An hour later, he found Owen on the docks pointing Ianto's gun at the Blowfish lying on the floor. He shot it over and over again until he ran out of bullets. Throwing the gun on the floor, Owen sank to his knees and began to cry. Jack slowly approached him and sat down next to him. Without saying a word, he pulled the younger man into a tight hug.

"An hour ago, I promised her mum I'd take care of her and now look. She could be dying because of me. If we'd have stayed at hers, this never would have happened. I let her go Jack, it should've been me that went after it." He sobbed.

"This is not your fault. She will pull through this, I promise you." Jack said firmly.

"Promises are easily broken." He mumbled.

Jack pulled away from him and held onto his arms, forcing Owen to look into his eyes.

"Listen to me, she will make it. Right now, she is fighting for her life and she won't stop, you know she won't. But she needs you to be strong to help her through." Jack told him.

Owen nodded and stood up.

"Has the ambulance left yet?" He asked.

"Yeah, Ianto's gone with her." Jack answered. Owen looked down at the dead Blowfish and growled. "Owen, go to her. I'll deal with him."

Owen turned and ran back to his car.


	6. Chapter 6

Driving to the hospital, he broke the speed limits and went through every red light.

As he entered the hospital, a nurse ran up to him.

"Are you ok? What happened?" She asked.

Owen frowned at her and shook his head. He remembered his clothes and hands were soaked with Gwen's blood and he looked down at himself.

"No this – my girlfriend was brought in. Gwen Cooper, she's been shot. I was with her until the ambulance came and then I…where is she?" He demanded.

"I'll find out for you. If you just take a seat I'll get right -"

"No, you find out now. Tell me where she is." He shouted.

"Owen." Ianto called. Owen spun around and looked at him. "She's through here." He ran after Ianto down the long corridors. "She woke up in the ambulance and was asking for you, almost shouting actually, even though the paramedics told her not to speak."

"Is she awake now?" Owen asked.

"No, when they got her here, she couldn't breath and she fell unconscious and…went into cardiac arrest. They managed to resuscitate her but she's still unconscious. The bullet cracked one of her ribs and almost punctured the lung." He explained.

They came to a stop outside Gwen's room. Owen took a deep breath before entering. His eyes fell on Gwen, hooked up to a load of machines. Walking over to her, he took her hand in his and held it tightly. His eyes burned with tears again as he gazed down at her. He bent down and kissed her forehead, running his other hand through her hair. There was a chair near her bed, he pulled it as close as he could and sat down, keeping her hand tight in his.

He had no idea how long he'd sat there but the next thing he knew was Jack, Ianto and Tosh had all entered the room. Tosh gasped when she saw the state of Owen and looked at Gwen in the bed, her eyes wide.

"Owen, I'm so sorry." She whispered.

"It's alright Tosh because she's going to be fine, I know she is." He said determinedly. Jack smiled at him. "How did you find out?"

"Jack rang me and told me what had happened last night." She answered.

"Last night? What time is it?" Owen asked.

"Ten o'clock in the morning." Ianto answered.

"You should probably go home and get cleaned up, get some sleep." Jack said gently.

"No, I'm not leaving her. What if she wakes up? She was asking for me last time and I wasn't there for her. I'm not letting her down again." He argued.

"We thought you might say that." Ianto smiled. He held out a bag to Owen. "I fetched you some clean clothes and shower things. The doctor said you could use Gwen's bathroom."

Owen took the bag from Ianto but didn't stand. He looked back at Gwen and kissed her hand. Reluctantly, he stood up and made his way to the bathroom connected to Gwen's room. When he reached the door, he turned and looked at Ianto.

"Thank you." He nodded. Looking at Jack, he told him. "If she so much as moves a finger, you come and get me."

"I promise." Jack nodded.

Taking one last look at Gwen, he walked into the bathroom. He took his clean clothes and shower things out of the bag and placed them on the floor. When he peeled off his bloodstained clothes, he stuffed them in the bag and tied it up. Stepping under the hot spray, he closed his eyes and tried to rid his mind of the image of Gwen lying dead in a pool of blood. The water turned pink as it washed the blood off him. He washed quickly and threw on his clean clothes.

When he stepped out of the bathroom, he saw that Jack had taken his place beside Gwen. Jack jumped up as Owen walked over.

"Anything happened?" He asked.

"Not yet." Jack told him.

Owen sat next to Gwen and took her hand in his once again. He kissed the back of her hand and ran his thumb over it.

"Come on Gwen, I need you. I love you." He whispered.

Looking back at the three team members, he smiled sadly. A tear rolled down Tosh's cheek. Jack placed his arm around her and grabbed onto Ianto's hand.

Owen felt a slight pressure on his hand. His head snapped back to Gwen and he saw her eyes still closed. Deciding he'd imagined it, he sighed and closed his eyes. He felt it again, someone squeezing his hand, this time he ignored it.

"Owen." Jack called. Owen turned his head to look at him. "Look."

Frowning, Owen turned back to Gwen and froze. He could see her eyes moving beneath her eyelids as she struggled to open them. Her hand tightened around his.

"Owen…" She mumbled. "Where's…Owen? I want…Owen."

"Gwen, I'm here. It's me, Owen." He told her.

"Owen…where are you?" She whispered.

"I'm here. Gwen, I'm here with you, look." He said, standing up and leaning closer to her.

Her eyes fluttered open and she stared at him through blurry eyes. She frowned as she tried to see him clearly.

"You're here." She breathed.

Pulling her hand out of his, she grabbed the front of his jacket and pulled his face to hers. He crushed his lips onto hers and kissed her passionately. When he pulled away, he saw a tear falling down her face.

"What's wrong?" He asked, panicked.

"Don't leave me. Promise me you won't leave me." She sobbed.

"I promise. I'll never leave you. Why would I leave you?" He asked.

"I saw…it was dark…there was nothing." She whispered.

"Gwen, it's ok. I'm here and I will never leave you." He told her. She looked into his eyes and nodded. As he sat back in his chair, Jack, Ianto and Tosh moved forward to see Gwen. Jack reached for her other hand but Owen reached out to stop him. "No, don't touch her."

"Owen, it's ok. He's not going to hurt me." She smiled, her voice still thick from sleep.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"Yes, I'm sure." She sighed.

Owen nodded and moved his hand so Jack could hold hers.

"How are you feeling?" Jack asked.

"Bloody tired and these beds aren't very comfortable." She sighed.

She tried to sit up but pain shot through her chest. Owen panicked as he saw her face screwed up in pain.

"Gwen, lie down. Just keep still. Are you ok?" He asked.

"Fine…I'm fine…" She whispered.

"Take it easy, I want you fit and healthy as soon as possible." He told her.

"Owen stop fussing over me, you're doing my bloody head in." She laughed. He smiled down at her and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. When he pulled away, he yawned and felt his eyelids growing heavy. "How much sleep have you had?"

He looked down at the floor and turned a deep shade of red.

"He hasn't slept." Ianto told her.

"Owen Harper, you go home right now and get some sleep." She shouted.

"I am not leaving you." He said each word slowly and firmly.

"Owen please, go home and rest." She said.

"There is no way I'm letting you out of my sight for one second." He argued.

"If you don't go home, I'll get Jack to sedate you and take you back to the Hub." She threatened.

"And don't think I won't do it. I'm not arguing with the woman, she always wins." Jack laughed.

Owen looked at Tosh and Ianto for help. They shrugged and said nothing. Defeated, he kissed Gwen and stood up.

"Are you sure you'll be ok?" Owen asked.

"I'll be fine, now leave." She smiled.

"I'll be back later. I love you." He told her.

"Love you too." She replied. As Owen left the room, she turned to Jack. "Make sure he leaves, I know what he's like."

Jack smiled and followed Owen out of the room. She started to feel anxious without Owen there but she tried not to show it in front of Tosh and Ianto.

"Your boyfriend has quite a temper." Ianto smiled.

"Why? What's he done?" Gwen demanded.

"Nothing, but it took both me _and_ Jack to restrain him when they put you in the back of the ambulance. He didn't want anyone else to touch you." Ianto explained.

Gwen smiled and rolled her eyes. The doctor came into the room and checked the machines.

Meanwhile, Jack checked the canteen for any signs of Owen. He spotted the younger man asleep at a table, a cup of coffee in front of him. Sighing, he walked over to him and put his hand on his shoulder. Owen woke with a start and spun around in his chair.

"I thought you were going home." Jack said sternly.

"I can't leave her Jack." Owen said. "Please, just let me stay here."

Jack saw the desperation in his eyes and sighed. He nodded and sat beside him.

"I won't be telling Gwen about this. She'll have both our heads." He laughed.

"Good idea." Owen nodded. After a minutes silence, Owen looked away and sighed. "I've been thinking, maybe her parents were right. Rhys was better for her, he'd never get her shot like I did. She had a future all planned out with him."

"Owen, I have never seen either of you two so happy. Did you ever see Gwen smile when she was with Rhys as much as she does now?" Jack asked.

"Well, no but -"

"Who was it she asked for when she woke up?" He asked.

"That's not -"

"Who was it?" Jack repeated.

"Me. Jack, I just want what's best for her and…maybe I'm not the best thing." Owen sighed.

"I think Gwen is old enough to decide what's best for her. She fought to stay alive to stay with you." Jack told him. Owen looked away and closed his eyes. After a few minutes of silence, Jack stood up. "I'd better go and tell Gwen you've gone home or she'll send out a search party."

"Yeah, thank you Jack. Give her my love." Owen nodded.

As Jack left, Owen took a sip of his cold coffee and sat back in the chair.

When Jack reached Gwen's room, she looked up at him.

"Did he leave?" She asked.

"Yeah, just before he left he asked me to tell you he loves you." Jack smiled.

"He's still here isn't he?" She laughed.

"No, he went home like you asked him to." Jack lied.

"Jack, tell me the truth." She smiled.

"Alright, he's in the canteen." He sighed. "You're good."

She smiled and shook her head.

"I'm glad he didn't leave to be honest. I feel better knowing he's here. I don't think I can deal with this alone." She sighed.

"Why? Gwen what's wrong?" Jack frowned.

Gwen didn't answer. She looked at him for a few seconds before looking away. Jack noticed a tear roll down her cheek which she quickly wiped away with the back of her hand. She looked at Ianto and he shifted from one foot to the other uncomfortably. Tosh and Jack looked at each other frowning.

"Gwen…maybe you should tell Owen." Ianto said.

"No, I can't tell him. He'll…it'll just…Owen is not going to be told." She said firmly.

"Look, he has a right to know. What if he finds out from someone else? Don't you think it's better to hear it from you?" Ianto argued.

"Ianto, you promised you wouldn't say anything." Gwen reminded him.

"I wasn't talking about me telling him." Ianto told her.

"Well we won't tell him. We have no idea what you two are talking about." Tosh said.

Gwen snapped her head up to look at Jack and Tosh. She had forgotten they were in the room.

"It doesn't matter." She said, shaking her head.

"It does. You need to tell him." Ianto told her.

"Tell me what?"

All four of them looked up at Owen stood in the doorway. Gwen glared at Ianto then turned back to Owen.

"Didn't I tell you to go home?" She smiled, trying to change the subject.

"I…I couldn't leave. Anyway, what do you need to tell me?" He asked, stepping towards her.

Ianto pulled Tosh and Jack from the room. Before he closed the door behind them, he gave Gwen a meaningful look. She sighed and held out her hand for him to take. He held her hand and sat in the chair beside her bed.

"Owen I…please listen to what I have to say and believe me when I say I had no idea. If I did…" She whispered.

Owen watched as tears rolled down her cheeks. She looked away from him and closed her eyes. He reached up, held her face in his hand and forced her to look at him.

"Gwen, what's wrong?" He asked.

"I…I can't…Ianto…sorry I can't." She sobbed.

"Do you want me to ask him?" He asked gently.

The panic in him was rising as he watched Gwen break down in tears. She nodded slightly and let go of his hand. Owen made his way to the door, thoughts running through his head.

When he left the room, Tosh, Jack and Ianto all looked up at him.

"Is everything ok?" Jack asked.

Owen ignored him and looked at Ianto, sat in a chair opposite the door.

"Ianto, could you..?" Owen said, gesturing for him to come inside.

Ianto nodded and followed Owen into the room. His eyes fell on Gwen as Owen sat beside her.

"I'm sorry Ianto but I can't…can you..?" She whispered, the tears still streaming down her face.

"How does Ianto know?" Owen asked.

"I was there when she was told." Ianto answered for her.

"Told what?" Owen demanded.

"As soon as they brought her in, they ran some tests and they came up with some interesting results. Gwen had been exposed to some radiation, obviously working with Torchwood it was bound to happen. They also found out…she was two weeks pregnant."

"Bloody radiation cancelled out the effects of the pill." Gwen mumbled.

Owen looked between Ianto and Gwen.

"'_Was' _pregnant? What do you mean she 'was' pregnant?" He frowned.

"Well…when Gwen couldn't breath it…it starved the baby of oxygen and…she lost it. There was no way of saving it." Ianto explained.

Gwen was shaking as she cried uncontrollably. Owen climbed onto the bed next to her and held both her hands tightly.

"It's my fault. What was I thinking letting you run after that thing, especially in your condition? I should have gone myself. I could've lost you. What the fuck was I thinking?" His voice rose and he began to shout.

"Owen." Gwen shouted. He looked down at her and sighed. She struggled to sit up despite his protests. When she was sitting up, she leaned against him for support, breathing heavily. "None of this is your fault, ok? Neither of us knew about this. Please, don't blame yourself for this." She said, looking into his eyes.

"I can't help it. Every time I look at you, I just think about how you could've been killed, all because I let you chase that thing." He whispered.

"Stop it. Stop blaming yourself." She sighed, frustrated.

"Alright, fine it's not my fault." Owen replied, holding his hands up in surrender.

Gwen glared up at Ianto.

"I told you we shouldn't have told him. I knew he was going to do this. Why did we even have to tell him in the first place?" She asked him.

"Gwen, sweetheart, I would've wanted to know." Owen told her.

"Exactly and plus, look how upset it made you when you found out. You even said yourself you didn't think you could deal with it alone. Think how it might have felt for Owen if you hadn't told him. To see you upset like that and not knowing how to help." Ianto argued.

She looked down at her hands clasped in Owen's and nodded slightly. Owen pulled one of his hands free and tilted her chin up, forcing her to look into his eyes. There were tears glistening in the corners of her big green eyes. He saw Ianto walk quietly out of the room to give them privacy.

"It's ok, I'm here for you and I'm not leaving unless you tell me to leave and I don't just mean the hospital. I love you and I'd do anything for you, anything you want, even if it kills me." Owen whispered.

"I'll never ask you to leave. I love you." She smiled.

"If you hadn't have lost this baby…would you…would you have wanted it?" He asked.

"Well, it's a bit early in our relationship for babies but…yes, I would. The thought of having a baby just…I liked it and…I still do. Would you have wanted this baby?" She replied.

"Like you said, it's a bit early for babies and neither of us is prepared. I mean, neither of us have enough space for a baby at either of our flats. Torchwood isn't exactly baby friendly, there'd be no one to look after it while we went to work." Gwen looked away sadly but Owen turned her face to look back at him. "But I'd have got us a nice house and hired a baby-sitter if we had to. I like the idea of being a dad and I would've tried to be the best dad I can. I'd have given this baby everything I didn't get as a child so it wouldn't have the childhood I had. Of course I would've wanted this baby."

She smiled up at him.

"You know, technically, we have known each other a good few months. Think about it, we flirted a lot and then we had that little…thing going on and to be honest, we loved each other from the start. Technically…" She hinted.

"Gwen Cooper, are you saying you want a baby?" Owen smirked.

"Well…" She shrugged. "Only if you do of course."

"Well then, we'd better start making plans. There's a lot to think about when it comes to babies." He said.

"Is that a yes?" Gwen asked excitedly.

Owen grinned and wrapped his arms around her. She squealed and crushed her lips against his. Her hand flew up to her chest as she began to gasp for air. Owen watched as her face screwed up in pain. After a few seconds, she took a deep breath and looked up at him.

"I think you're getting a little too excited." He laughed.

Rolling her eyes, she lay back down and held his hand tightly.

"I can't wait to get out of here." She sighed, looking at the machines she was hooked up to.

"Gwen…you know how you want a baby...well, it would be a lot easier if we were…you know…living together." Owen mumbled.

"It makes sense." She nodded.

"So…do you want to move in with me?" He asked. "You know, while we find a bigger place."

"Yeah…yeah I do." She smiled shyly.


	7. Chapter 7

A few days later, Gwen stepped through the door of Owen's flat. She placed her bag down on the floor and turned to Owen as he carried the last of her bags through the door.

"Why do women need so many clothes?" Owen moaned. Gwen laughed at him as he placed the bag on the floor and made his way slowly over to her. He placed his hands on her hips as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Welcome home."

She reached up and kissed him gently. Without breaking the kiss, he slowly guided her towards the bedroom.

A few months later, Gwen and Owen were arguing. It wasn't one of their usual little rows, it was a full blown argument. Jack had given them the day off due to the rift being unusually quiet again and Gwen and Owen had decided to go out. When Jack had rung Owen telling him he needed him at the Hub in an emergency, he'd accepted. Gwen was furious when Owen told her he'd have to cancel.

"You promised me we'd try tonight." Gwen shouted. "You know how much this means to me, to us."

"Jack needs me." Owen told her.

"Fuck Jack, he can deal with it himself." She spat.

"He said it was an emergency. I can't just leave him. You know what Torchwood's like Gwen." He argued.

"So – so you're saying Torchwood's more important than having a baby?" She demanded.

"No, I never said that and what are the chances that you would get pregnant tonight? We can try another time." He said.

"Owen, this night was supposed to be about spending time together and you're cancelling to go to work." She shouted.

"I'm sorry but what else can I do?" He shouted back.

"You could say no. This is our night off." Gwen said.

"Gwen, I'm really sorry. We can arrange this for some other night. I have to go." Owen insisted.

"No. Every time we decide to try, Jack calls and you go running so just…forget it. Forget everything. I'm…I'm leaving." She spat.

As she stormed out the door, Owen ran after her. He followed her to her car and grabbed her arm before she could get in.

"Gwen wait – if it means so much to you, I'll call Jack back and tell him I can't come in." Owen told her.

"No, forget it. You've made it clear which one you'd prefer to be doing so don't let me stop you." She said coldly.

She ripped her arm out of his grasp and got in her car. Owen sighed as he watched her drive away. He felt his phone vibrate in his jeans pocket and he quickly pulled it out to answer it.

"Owen, are you on your way?" Jack's voice asked.

"Yes. I told you I'll be there in minute." Owen replied.

As he put his phone down, he went back into his flat to pick up his car keys and jacket. He decided to give Gwen some space to cool down before he rang her.

When he reached the Hub, he was met by an angry Jack.

"You took your time." Jack shouted. "And what the hell is going on between you and Gwen?"

"We just had a bit of an argument, nothing to worry about. Why? How did you know about it?" Owen frowned.

"She called me, gave me an earful. Apparently I've ruined everything. Care to tell me what she's talking about?" He demanded.

"We were meant to be going out tonight and trying for a baby but…"

Jack nodded in understanding.

"Sorry about that. If you want, I can get Tosh in. Go after Gwen, make it up to her." Jack told him.

"No, it's fine. She'll be alright, she just needs time. I'll talk to her when I get back." Owen answered.

"If you're sure. Just…do one thing for me." Jack said. Owen nodded at him to continue. "I told Gwen the same thing when she was with Rhys but I guess it was too late. Just…don't let it drift."

"I won't, I promise." Owen nodded. "Now, what is it you wanted me for?"

Noticing he wanted to change the subject, Jack took him down into the autopsy bay to tell him what had happened.

Gwen pulled over and sighed. Switching off the engine, she leant her head on the head rest and closed her eyes. Her phone lay on the seat next to her where she'd thrown it after she'd called Jack. Glancing at it, she thought about calling Owen. As she picked it up, she decided to call an old friend. She needed to get away from Torchwood just for one night. Calling them up, she made arrangements to meet them in the local bar.

While she waited at the bar for them, she ordered the drinks.

"Hey." A voice said behind her.

She turned around to face the brunet.

"Hey." She smiled. "Thanks for coming."

Rhys smiled back at her, noticing the smile didn't reach her eyes. She walked over to him and hugged him tight.

"Yeah, well you sounded upset on the phone and…you know me…hate seeing you upset." He smiled. Gwen looked down at the floor feeling the tears burning in the corners of her eyes. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Rhys wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. Grabbing onto the front of his shirt, she sobbed into his chest. When she'd calmed down enough, she pulled away and looked up at him.

"I'm sorry…I just…" She whispered.

"It's alright I don't mind." He said softly. Picking up their drinks, he led her over to a table. As she sat down, he set their drinks on the table and sat next to her. "Now you tell me everything."

As she explained what had happened, Neutron Star Collision began to play. It brought back painful memories causing her to well up again.

"Rhys, can we get out of here?" She asked.

"Sure. Come on, come back to my place." He said. Exiting the club, Rhys looked slightly embarrassed. "Erm…yeah sorry I didn't – I didn't bring my car."

"It's fine we can take mine." She told him.

Rhys gave her directions to his new flat.

As they pulled up outside, Gwen looked up at it.

"It's not much but it suits me just fine." He smiled.

She followed him inside and looked around. It was tiny and cramped, there was barely enough room for his things.

"It's a bit small." She frowned.

"Yeah well…it's just me. I don't need any extra space." He shrugged. "Make yourself at home. I'll get us a drink."

She slowly made her way over to the sofa and sat down. The kitchen and the living room were joined like they were in her old flat. Two doors led off to what she presumed to be the bathroom and the bedroom.

Rhys sat down next to her and handed her a glass of wine.

"Thanks." She nodded. As she took a sip, she looked around the flat once more and back to Rhys. He was watching her sadly. "So…how have you been?"

"Good, yeah I've been good. Erm…got a new job, manager at Harwoods." Rhys told her.

"Oh that's brilliant." She smiled.

"Yeah." He laughed. After a few seconds, an uncomfortable silence fell. Gwen sipped her drink and avoided eye contact with him. "So…this Owen…you seem to really love him."

"Yeah…I do but…I don't know." She sighed. She put her glass down on the table and reached for her handbag. Taking her phone out of her bag, she checked for any messages or missed calls. "Nothing. I mean…should I text him or wait for him to text me?"

When she looked up, she saw Rhys inches from her. They looked into each other's eyes for few seconds. She froze as he closed the gap and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. He broke away and looked quickly away from her.

"Sorry I didn't -"

He was cut off as she turned his face back to hers and crushed her lips onto his. The glass in his hand fell to the floor and shattered everywhere. He wrapped his arms around her tightly as she ran her hands through his hair. She pressed him up against the back of the sofa and placed a leg either side of him. Rhys picked her up and carried her towards his room. The door banged open as they crashed through it. As he placed her down on the bed, she pulled him down on top of her.

The next morning, she woke up with a start. Sitting up, she looked around the room and tried to remember where she was. Looking down at the figure next to her, she froze in shock. Gwen wrapped the covers tightly around herself, still staring down at the sleeping Rhys. Tearing her eyes away from him, she quickly located her clothes scattered around the room. She carefully climbed out of the bed so as not to wake Rhys and grabbed them. Her thoughts turned to Owen as she pulled on her clothes. How could she have done this to him?

When she was dressed, she glanced back into Rhys' room to make sure he was still asleep. He'd read the situation wrong, he'd think there was more to what they did. She scribbled a note on the back of an old envelope.

"_Rhys  
I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen, things just got out of hand last night. You know I still love you, but as a friend. I'm really sorry, please forgive me.  
Gwen xxx"_

She placed the note on the table. Taking one last look over her shoulder, she left the flat and made her way to her car.

Owen sat on the sofa in his flat, waiting for Gwen. If only he'd called her last night and apologised. Then maybe she wouldn't have stayed out all night and he wouldn't be worried sick. What if something else had happened to her? He'd never know.

The sound of a car pulling up made him jump off the sofa and run over to the window. Gwen's car was parked behind his own. He could see her sitting in the front seat, her head in her hands. He watched as she leant back in the seat and closed her eyes.

Minutes later, she walked through the door and stood staring at Owen.

"Gwen, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have -"

"Owen I -"

"No, I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you I promise. Jack gave us tonight off and I promise I won't do what I did last night. We can do whatever you want, go out, try for a baby, anything. I'm really -"

"I slept with Rhys." Gwen whispered.

"What? No you wouldn't…don't be -"

"I'm sorry but…I did." She said nervously.

"But…why?" Owen asked.

"I didn't mean for it to happen. I just…I just needed to get away from Torchwood, talk to someone normal for once. I called Rhys and…one thing led to another and…" She explained. "I'm so sorry."

Owen stood in silence, just watching her. She walked over to him and held his face in her hands. His face stayed blank, expressionless. When she leaned in to kiss him, he pulled away.

"Don't. Just…don't." He said.

He walked towards the door and stopped in the doorway. Gwen waited for him to turn around but he stood motionless.

"Where are you going?" She asked, her voice breaking as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I just need time to…I'll be back later." He mumbled.

"Of course, you need time to think this over. I'll see you later and…I love you." She said, trying to smile through the fountain of tears.

Owen turned his head to look at her. He nodded and walked out.

She watched him go. Guilt and confusion washed through her. She couldn't understand why he hadn't shouted or gotten angry. The need to shower became stronger as the smell of Rhys' flat clung to her clothes. As she walked towards the bathroom, her phone began to ring. She picked it up with a sigh, knowing exactly who it would be. He started to talk before she could say anything.

"Don't hang up. I just want to say…I understand. You came to me wanting to talk because you were upset. I just took advantage of that and I'm sorry." Rhys said.

"It's not your fault, it's mine. When you kissed me I…I don't know…I just needed to forget who I was for a while and I used you to do it. I didn't mean it to happen, it just…did." She sighed.

"Well, I guess we're both to blame. We can still be friends…can't we?" He asked.

"Yeah, of course we can." She nodded.

"Does he know?" Rhys asked.

"Yeah…yeah he does." She answered.

"And…how did he react?"

"I don't know. He just walked out and said he needed time to think." She told him.

"I'm sorry…I'd better go. Bye." He mumbled.

"Yeah, see you." She answered.

Placing her phone on the table, she continued on her way to the bathroom.

After taking a quick shower, she wrapped herself in Owen's robe and wandered into their bedroom. She smiled as she breathed in Owen's scent from the robe. She started tidying up to fill the silence.

When she'd finished, she sat on the bed and looked over at the dressing table. There lay a stack of papers, each advertising houses for sale. They'd been searching for a new home where they could start a family. Their favourite so far, lay on the top of the pile. The chances of a new home and a family looked very slim now, Gwen realised. She sighed and lay down on Owen's side of the bed. She drifted off to sleep, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

Owen looked out over the water as he stood on the bay. He felt in his pocket for the little red box and pulled it out. He opened it and looked at the ring inside. This was going to be one of the ways he was going to make it up to her. He knew they'd only been together for about six months but somehow it felt…right. But now, everything had changed. Gwen had slept with Rhys behind his back. Could he forgive her for this? Could he trust her not to do it again? All he could think about was her and Rhys together, Gwen calling out Rhys' name. He sighed and snapped the box shut, shoving it in his pocket.

Finally, after an hour of thinking he made his way back to the flat.

It was silent when he returned home. He looked in the bedroom and saw Gwen asleep on the bed in his robe. Smiling slightly, he made his way over to her.

"Gwen." He whispered. "Gwen, wake up."

She mumbled and opened her eyes slightly. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she sat up slowly. When she saw the expression on Owen's face, she bit her lip and looked away.

"Sorry, I was tired. I didn't get much sleep last…" Her voice trailed off as Owen's jaw tightened. "I didn't mean it like that. I just meant…it doesn't matter."

"Listen, I've been thinking. I love you but I can't just forget what you did. I need you to promise me that you won't do it again." He told her.

"I do, I promise, I'll never do that to you again. I love you and please believe me when I tell you I will never hurt you again." She said.

He sat down next to her and held both her hands in his.

"I believe you." He whispered and leaned in to kiss her gently. She responded eagerly and protested when he broke away. "There's something I want to ask you."

"Um…ok." She nodded nervously.

He slipped off the bed and knelt down in front of her. Letting go of her hands, he reached into his pocket for the ring. Her eyes widened as he took it out of the box and reached for her hand.

"Gwen Cooper, will you marry me?" He asked.

She looked from the ring to his face, too shocked to answer. Owen watched anxiously, waiting for her to say something.

"Um…I…Owen I…" She couldn't get the words out. Instead she pulled his face up to hers and kissed him passionately. When they broke away for air, she smiled. "Yes."

Owen grinned and kissed her again, placing the ring on her finger. He sat back on the bed and leant against the headboard. She curled up into his side as he wrapped his arms around her. He ran his fingers through her hair.

"Yesterday, after I'd finished at the Hub, I went to the estate agents. I put an offer on the house. We can start a family in a proper home. If you still want to that is." He said.

She looked up at him and smiled.

"Of course I still want to."

He smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"Come on, we've still got time to do everything we wanted to do last night. So get dressed and I'll be with you in a couple of minutes, just give me chance to shower." He told her.

"Well, wait a few minutes so I can give you your dressing gown back." She called as he went to leave the room.

"No, it's ok. I'll just use yours." He grinned.

"Oh yes, pink is your colour." She giggled.

He took off his shirt and rolled it up into a ball. She dodged it as he threw it at her. Before she could throw it back, he'd ran into the bathroom. Gwen held her hand out and smiled at the ring on her finger before getting dressed.


	8. Chapter 8

A few weeks later, Gwen, Ianto and Tosh were all sitting around the kitchen table in Gwen and Owen's new home. The wedding plans were spread out in front of them and the three of them clutched a cup of Ianto's coffee.

"So, Ianto, you're in charge of Jack and Owen. You need to get your suits fitted and taken back to Owen's flat. You'll all be staying there the night before. If Owen's any trouble send him to me…I'll sort him out." Gwen smirked. Ianto raised an eyebrow and smirked at her causing her to blush a deep shade of red. "Anyway, Ianto, you also need to make sure everyone is in the right place at the right time. You can drag Jack along to help you with that and make sure he behaves."

"Don't worry Gwen, I'll have everything under control including Jack." Ianto grinned.

"Good. Tosh and I will get our dresses sorted. I've sent out the invitations already and booked the hall. My mum and dad are coming down to help us with everything else." Gwen told them. "There's just so much to do."

"Gwen, we've got plenty of time." Tosh smiled.

"I hope so." She sighed.

"Where are Jack and Owen?" Tosh asked.

Tosh had arrived after Jack and Ianto and had noticed the absence of the two men.

"Gwen banished them from the house for a few hours. They were…misbehaving." Ianto explained.

"They were like two bloody kids. I swear if they carry on, neither of them will be invited to this wedding." She said.

"It wouldn't really be a wedding if the groom's not invited. It'd be more of a…fancy dress party." Ianto pointed out.

"Shut it you." Gwen smiled.

The three of them heard the front door opening and closing. Seconds later, Jack and Owen poked their heads into the kitchen. Jack had constructed a white flag from a pen and a tissue and was waving it in surrender. Gwen rolled her eyes and glared at them.

"Are we allowed back in now?" Owen asked.

"I suppose, we're done for tonight." Gwen sighed.

The two men walked into the kitchen. Jack sat next to Ianto as Owen made his way over to Gwen. He bent down and captured her lips in a gentle kiss. The two of them soon forgot the others in the room.

"Oi, save it for the wedding." Jack shouted.

They slowly broke apart and turned to grin at Jack. Gwen stood up and let Owen sit on her chair. He pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her waist.

Hours later, it was time for the other three to leave. Tosh hugged Gwen and Owen and left in her car. As Jack was leaving, Gwen hugged him tight.

"Did I say sorry for that phone call?" Gwen asked.

"Yeah you did and don't worry about it." Jack smiled.

"But I feel really bad, I said some harsh things. How can I make it up to you?" She asked.

"I can think of something." Jack smirked.

"Hands off Harkness." Owen warned.

"I only meant she could buy me a drink, I swear." Jack smiled, holding his hand up.

"Sure you did. Now go on, if you don't mind I'd like to take my fiancée upstairs and have my wicked way with her." Owen said. Gwen punched him on the arm and glared at him. "I meant so we could try for a baby."

"Oh you two are doing my bloody head in." Gwen growled and stormed off into the living room.

"I'd better go. See you two at the Hub tomorrow morning." Jack said.

"Yeah, see you." Owen nodded.

As Jack left, Owen closed the door and followed Gwen into the living room. She was sat on the sofa looking through a magazine containing wedding dresses. He sat down next to her and looked over her shoulder at the magazine.

"I still don't know which one to get. What do you think of this one?" She asked.

She pointed to a strapless floor length dress.

"It's nice, I like it." Owen nodded.

"Or there's this one." She said.

Turning the page, she pointed to another floor length dress. This one had one strap that went around the neck.

"Yeah, it's good. I like that one too." He said.

"Which one do you think I should get?" She asked.

"Gwen, you're asking me about dresses. You should really ask Tosh about this kind of stuff." He laughed.

"You're so helpful." She said sarcastically.

"I can't help it, I'm a man." He shrugged. "You know when you get the dress fitted…will it be a man or a woman?"

"How should I know? Why does it matter?" She asked.

"I just don't want some bloke poking around you with a tape measure." He told her.

"He won't. It'll be strictly professional." She laughed.

"Trust me, I know what blokes are like. A young woman needs help getting in and out of her wedding dress, adjustments need to be made, we'll do anything to get our hands on women." He said.

"Look at you getting all territorial." Gwen laughed. "It might still be a woman."

"You make sure it is." Owen warned.

"If it makes you feel better, I'll specifically ask for a woman. If I have to have a man, I'll tell him I have an extremely overprotective fiancé that'll kill him if he tries anything. Does that sound better?" She smiled.

"Not really. I'd rather Ianto did it or even better…me." He shrugged.

"You can't see me in my dress before the wedding." Gwen laughed.

"Why not, I've already seen the dresses." He argued.

"I might not choose one of these dresses. What do you know about fitting dresses anyway?" Gwen smiled.

"Who said I'd be fitting the dress? I was talking about the helping you get out of the dress." Owen grinned.

"Is that right? Well, that takes a lot of skill. We don't want the dress to crease or rip." She smirked.

"I'd better get some practice then." He whispered in her ear.

Taking the magazine out of her hand, he threw it on the floor and pulled her onto his lap. She turned to face him and grinned. Pressing herself into him, she crushed her lips onto his. As she ran her tongue across his bottom lip, she trailed her hand down his chest to the waistband of his jeans. He growled as she slipped her hand beneath the fabric, her nails scratching him. Grabbing the bottom of her t-shirt, he threw it over her head and across the room. With her free hand, she ripped open his shirt. He pushed her down on the sofa and lay on top of her. He kissed down her neck and across her shoulder, biting down in the spots that sent her crazy.

As he kissed her, he heard someone knocking on the door. Gwen was oblivious and continued to undress him.

"There's someone at the door." Owen told her.

"Leave it." She whispered.

He kissed her again and the knocking grew louder. The letterbox opened and a voice floated through to them.

"Gwen, it's us, your parents." Her mum shouted.

Gwen pushed Owen off her and sat up.

"Oh my God. What are they doing here? They weren't supposed to be here until the weekend." She panicked. "Oh shit."

She ran across the room to retrieve her t-shirt. Owen stood up and headed upstairs.

"I need to…I'll be down in a minute." He mumbled.

"Gwen, let us in." Her father shouted.

"I'm coming." Gwen called back.

She hurried to the front door. Before she opened it, she straightened her hair and tried to hide the large red marks that were slowly turning purple on her neck.

"There you are. What took you so long?" Mary asked as Gwen opened the door.

"Sorry, we were…upstairs…unpacking. You know how it is when you move house. We didn't hear you." Gwen lied.

She let her parents in and closed the door behind them, taking a deep breath.

"It looks wonderful." Mary smiled.

"Yes, we're proud of you duckling. Getting married, starting a family. Maybe it ___will_ work out with this Oliver." Geraint nodded.

"It's Owen, dad." Gwen corrected.

"Yes…of course." He smiled.

"Where is my future son-in-law?" Mary asked.

"He's upstairs…finishing off." Gwen answered. She had to bite her cheek to stop herself from laughing. "He'll be down soon. So…how come you're down early?"

Gwen's parents followed her into the kitchen and sat at the table as she made the drinks.

"Your mother just couldn't wait to come and see the new house so we decided to surprise you." Geraint explained.

"You surprised us alright." Gwen mumbled, low enough for them not to hear. "I'll give you the grand tour later."

"Wonderful. Oh, guess who we bumped into on the way here." Mary said.

"Who?" Gwen asked.

"Rhys." Gwen almost dropped the jar of coffee she was holding. She turned away to hide the panic in her eyes. "We didn't think he'd want to speak to us but he came up to us and was chatting away. He said he'd seen you a couple of weeks ago." Her mum smiled.

"What did he say?" Gwen demanded.

"He told us about his new job and -"

"No, what did he say about seeing me? What did he say we did?" Gwen interrupted.

"Just…that you'd met up to talk and catch up. Why? Is there something wrong about that?" Geraint asked, confused.

"No, no of course not. Yeah…we went to his flat and…had a good chat." Gwen nodded.

She turned and smiled at her parents.

"Well it's good that you two are still friends. Rhys is a lovely boy." Mary told her.

Gwen placed a drink in front of each of her parents and sat down. She showed them what they had planned for the wedding so far.

After fifteen minutes, she began to wonder where Owen had got to.

"I'll be back in a minute. I'm just going to check how Owen's doing." She told them. Making her way upstairs, she called out to him. "Owen? Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He called.

"Where are you?" She laughed.

She walked into their bedroom and saw him sitting on the bed in a towel.

"I needed a shower." He mumbled.

"Well hurry up. My mum wants to see you." She said.

"I'll be down in a second." He told her.

Walking over to him, she gave him a quick kiss and ran her hand through his hair. As she went to leave the room, he walked over to his chest of drawers and pulled out some clean clothes. Gwen turned as he took off his towel.

"Nice arse." She grinned.

"I'm glad you're enjoying the view. You'd better go back down before your parents come up and admire it too." He said.

She giggled and went back to the kitchen.

"He'll be down in a second. Come on, let's go sit in the living room." She said.

Minutes later, Owen joined them.

"There you are. Come and give your mother in law a hug." Mary smiled.

Mary pulled him into a tight hug and kissed him on the cheek. Gwen grinned at his shocked face.

"It's good to see you again, Mrs Cooper." Owen nodded.

"Aaw, you are a sweet boy." Mary laughed.

As she pulled him into another hug, he looked to Gwen for help. She stood up quickly and stood beside them.

"Mum, why don't we take that tour?" Gwen suggested.

"Oh yes, wonderful. Come on Geraint." Mary nodded.

Gwen's dad smiled and joined them. Gwen took Owen's hand and led them out into the hallway.

"We haven't finished decorating and unpacking yet so it's not quite how we want it. You've already seen the kitchen and the living room of course. Just through here is a little room we thought we'd turn into a playroom for the baby." Gwen smiled.

She took them through to a small room which also had a door connecting to the living room. Mary grinned and looked around the room. Gwen's father had to practically drag her out so they could look around the rest of the house.

They headed upstairs where Gwen and Owen showed them their room, the bathroom and guest room.

Gwen stood at the door of the last room.

"This is probably Gwen's favourite room." Owen smiled. "This is going to be the nursery."

Gwen opened the door and let her parents in the room. There was already a cot in the corner left by the old owners of the house. Gwen had fallen in love with it the moment she saw it. It was wooden and painted white with hand painted teddy bears at each end.

"That's beautiful." Mary gasped. "I can't wait for our little grandchild to arrive. When is it due?"

"I'm not pregnant. We're trying though." Gwen told them.

"Really…you're not…oh. Don't let us being here stop you. In fact, I could give you some tips on how to increase the chances. We used to -"

"Mum, stop right there. That's just…gross. Me and Owen are fine doing things our way. Now please, let's just…drop the topic." Gwen cringed.

"Your mother is only trying to help duckling. You know she's excited about having a grandchild." Geraint said.

"I know but I'm not discussing my sex life with my parents. And I do not want to know how I was conceived thank you very much." She argued.

Owen stood next to her looking slightly uncomfortable.

"It's getting late." He mumbled.

"Yes I think it's time we all went to bed." Gwen nodded. "Mum, dad, you know where the guest bedroom is. I'll see you in the morning."

After kissing both her parents on the cheek, she dragged Owen out of the room and into theirs.

"Goodnight." Owen called over his shoulder as she closed the door.

Gwen sat down on the bed with a sigh and held her head in her hands.

"I know they're my parents and I love them to bits, but I can't wait for them to go home." She mumbled.

"We've still got two weeks with them until the wedding." Owen reminded her.

"Oh bloody hell." She moaned, falling back on the bed. "Can't we just elope? Then when we get back we can tell them and they can go home."

Owen laughed and sat on the bed next to her. She crawled up onto his lap and rested her head on his shoulder.

"You're the one that suggested they come to stay to help us sort everything out." He said.

"Yeah but I didn't think they'd be giving us sex tips. What are we going to do about tomorrow? Jack expects us at the Hub in the morning." She argued.

"We'll sort something out. Gwen, just relax, you've been stressed all day. I'll run you a bath and you can have a nice long soak." Owen said.

She looked up and kissed him gently.

"Thank you." She smiled.

He gently lifted her off his lap and placed her back on the bed.

As he ran the hot tap, he poured in lavender scented bubble bath.

While she waited, Gwen kicked off her shoes and stretched out on the bed. She was drifting off when she felt Owen lift her up and carry her into the bathroom.

When they reached the bathroom, he set her down on her feet and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Your bath is ready my lady. Now, get in, I'll be right back." He said.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

He winked and turned to leave. She smiled as he left the room. Breathing in the lavender scent, she pulled off her clothes and slipped into the bath. The hot water soothed her and she felt her muscles relax.

Owen wandered down into the kitchen and began to make Gwen a mug of hot chocolate. He searched the cupboards for some marshmallows. She liked to put a few in and have some on the side.

After making the drink, he carried it and the bag of marshmallows up to her.

"One hot chocolate." He said and handed them to her.

"Aaw, you even remembered the marshmallows. Thank you." She smiled.

"You deserve a treat after all that work on the wedding. Plus, it's sort of an apology for me and Jack earlier. I know we weren't helping." He said.

"No you weren't." She laughed.

"Yeah…sorry about that." He apologised.

She pulled him down and kissed him. The front of his t-shirt got soaked.

"Apology accepted." Gwen whispered.

"Oi, I'm all wet now." Owen moaned.

Gwen giggled and splashed more water at him, soaking his trousers. She put her cup down as he scooped up a load of water and threw it over her head.

"Behave, my mum and dad are in the next room." She giggled.

"They're your parents so ___you'd_ better behave." He grinned.

"Yes sir. Come on, get in." She said.

"I've already had a shower." He moaned.

"So." She shrugged. "Pretty please. Pretty please with sugar and a cherry on top."

Owen sighed as she gave him the cute puppy dog eyes.

"I can't…your mum and dad…what if…fine." He sighed.

She grinned as he peeled off his wet clothes. Gwen shuffled forward so he could climb in behind her. Sitting between his legs, she leant back on his chest and picked up her drink. Scooping out the melted marshmallow from it with her finger, she licked it off and sighed happily. Owen wrapped his arms around her and placed his hands on her stomach.

"I can't believe my mum thought I was pregnant already. Do I look pregnant?" She asked.

"She probably just thought it because of how much preparation we've been doing." Owen shrugged.

"I suppose." She finished her drink and picked up the bag of marshmallows. Owen reached around her and took one out of the bag, popping it into his mouth. "Oi, cheeky."

She slapped his hand away as he reached for another one. Picking one out of the bag, she put it in his mouth.

When the bath began to get cold, they climbed out and wrapped up in their robes. Owen emptied the bath as she wandered back into the bedroom. He used a towel to dry the floor from their water fight.

As he entered the bedroom, he spotted Gwen in front of the mirror examining her stomach from different angles, a small frown on her face.

"Still thinking about what your mum said?" Owen laughed.

"Hm…oh, yeah…do you think…no it doesn't matter." She sighed.

"What?" Owen asked.

"Nothing…" She said shaking her head.

Owen frowned but decided it was better to leave it.

They changed and climbed into bed. Gwen seemed to be deep in thought as Owen turned off the light. He kissed her and placed his arm over her. She looked down at her stomach and frowned.

The next morning, she woke up and climbed out of bed. She kept her eye on Owen as she crept out of the room and into the bathroom. She searched the cupboard for the pregnancy test she'd bought a few days ago and grabbed it out.


	9. Chapter 9

Gwen sat on the sofa in the living room, her mind occupied on the little test in the bathroom. She'd hidden it so no one could see the results before she did.

Glancing at the clock, she anxiously waited for three minutes to pass. Owen sat down next to her, unnoticed.

"Gwen." Owen called.

She looked at him and blinked, her face blank.

"Oh…morning sweetheart. Sorry I was…I was just…miles away." She mumbled.

"Are you ok?" He asked.

"I'm fine. Do you want a cup of tea?" She asked.

"I'll make it. Are you sure you're alright?" He frowned.

"Yes. I'm just thinking…of an excuse we're going to tell my parents so we can get to the Hub." She lied.

"Oh, I forgot about that. Just tell them we've got to work." He shrugged.

"Yeah…good idea." She nodded. Glancing at the clock, she saw that three minutes were up. "I'll be down in a minute."

Without looking at him, she made her way to the bathroom. She passed her parents in the hallway.

"Morning dear." Her mum smiled.

"Yeah." She nodded. Her parents looked at each other and frowned. Gwen turned and looked at her parents. "Sorry, miles away. Owen's making a drink if you want one."

"Oh lovely." Mary smiled.

Gwen turned back and carried on to the bathroom.

Taking the test out of it's hiding place, she closed her eyes before looking at the results. Opening one eye, she looked down at it. It had turned blue. She gasped and opened the other eye to make sure she wasn't seeing things. It was still blue. She beamed and threw the test in the bin.

She skipped down into the kitchen where her parents were sitting at the table and Owen was making toast for everyone. Gwen walked over to Owen and stood next to him.

"I'm pregnant." She whispered in his ear.

Owen glanced at her and nodded. She smiled and waited until he realised what she'd said, counting the seconds. Suddenly, Owen whipped his head up to look at her and dropped the toast he'd just taken out of the toaster. It landed on his foot, burning him. He kicked the toast away and grabbed his foot.

"Y-you're…you know…" He couldn't find the words.

Gwen's parents stared at them in confusion. She nodded at him, smiling. He stood up straight and stared at her in shock. After a few seconds he smiled and pulled her into a tight hug. She wrapped her arms around his neck and crushed her lips onto his.

"Will someone tell us what's going on?" Geraint asked loudly.

They broke apart and looked at her parents, Gwen's arms still wrapped around Owen's neck. She slowly pulled away and placed her arm around his waist. Owen copied her as they walked towards them.

"Mum, dad…" Gwen smiled and looked up at Owen. Looking back at her parents, she took a deep breath. "I'm…I'm…"

She burst into tears of happiness and couldn't continue. Burying her face in Owen's shoulder, she motioned for him to continue.

"Right…well…Gwen's going to have a baby." He smiled.

Mary jumped out of her seat and grabbed them both in a hug.

"I knew you were, you had that little gleam in your eye." Mary said. "Why did you say you weren't pregnant yesterday?"

"I've only just found out." Gwen answered, tears running down her face.

Geraint stood up and walked over to them. He pulled Gwen into a hug then shook Owen's hand.

"Congratulations." He smiled.

Drying her tears with the back of her hand, Gwen wrapped her arms around Owen's waist and rested her head on his chest.

After breakfast, she told her parents that they had to go to work. She gave them a spare key to let themselves in and out while they were at work.

It was Owen's turn to drive that morning. Gwen sat back in the passenger's seat, hands on her stomach, smiling out the window.

"I can do a scan when we get to the Hub and see how far gone you are." Owen told her.

"I don't think it's long. I've been trying to figure it out." Gwen said.

"I knew something was on your mind. Why didn't you tell me?" He asked.

"I didn't want to get your hopes up. I didn't want to let you down." She shrugged.

Owen pulled over and turned to her. He took her face in his hand and looked into her eyes.

"You don't have to worry about letting me down. I love you no matter what." He said firmly. She smiled and kissed him. "We'd better get going, you know what Jack's like when we're late."

"Yeah." She sighed, sitting back in her seat.

When they entered the Hub, Jack was in his office on the phone. Ianto and Tosh seemed to be busy with something so they entered unnoticed.

"Come on, before someone gives us a load of work and we get too busy." Owen said quietly.

"What?" She frowned.

"The scan." Owen whispered.

"Oh yes." She giggled. "Come on."

He took her down into the autopsy bay and pulled out the scanner.

"I've never actually used this on a ___living_ person before but I'm sure it'll be fine." Owen confessed.

"Oh thanks. You do know how to boost someone's confidence." Gwen said sarcastically.

"I'm just as nervous about this as you are." He mumbled, too low for her to hear. "Don't worry, you're in safe hands. Ok, sit up on the table."

"Is this ok?" She asked as she sat on the autopsy table.

"Perfect. Now, this won't hurt you. Do you trust me?" He asked.

She squeezed his hand and nodded.

"I trust you." She smiled.

"Good, that's good. Right…put your hand on here." He said, pointing to the scanner. She nervously did as he said. "I just need to put this on your stomach. It'll project an image onto the wall and it will bring up some details." He gently pressed the probe on her stomach and waited. She cried out in pain and collapsed onto his shoulder. "Gwen!"

Dropping the probe, he pushed her back up to see her shaking with laughter.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist." She giggled.

"Gwen, don't do that to me." He growled.

Holding a hand over his pacing heart, he took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. She looked up at him guiltily.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

"It's…fine. Can we get on with this please?" He asked impatiently. Gwen looked at the floor and nodded. "Ok, let's try this again."

Picking up the probe, he applied it back onto her stomach and watched as the image was projected on the wall. It showed a figure with a red dot pulsing between the hips. They looked at it in awe.

"Is that..?" Gwen whispered, pointing at it.

"That's our baby." Owen answered.

"Wow. That is…that's just…wow." She gasped. "How far gone is it?"

"It is…two weeks and three days exactly." Owen told her, reading off the results.

Gwen placed her free hand on top of Owen's hand on the probe. They looked into each other's eyes and smiled. Neither noticed Jack stepping out onto the balcony.

"Hey don't think I didn't notice you two sneaking down here. Whatever it is you're doing, save…whoah. Is that what I think it is?" Jack asked. Gwen looked up at him, beaming. Looking over his shoulder, Jack called over to Tosh and Ianto. "Hey, you two have got to see this."

Ianto and Tosh frowned at each other before making their way over to him. Tosh gasped and Ianto smiled as they saw the projection.

"You're pregnant. That's…wonderful." Tosh smiled.

She ran down to them and pulled Gwen into a tight hug. When she broke away, she gently patted Gwen's stomach and turned to Owen. She threw her arms around his neck causing him to stagger backwards.

"Erm, Tosh…I can't…breath." He gasped.

"Oh…sorry." She giggled and let him go.

Owen rubbed his neck as she made her way back up to Jack and Ianto.

"I can monitor the baby with this and as it progresses, we can get some proper images." Owen told them as he put the scanner away.

"Well, it beats being covered in cold gel and poked at by the doctors." Gwen smiled.

"Oi, I am a doctor and you don't usually complain about being poked at." Owen smirked.

Gwen giggled and pulled him to stand between her legs. Placing a hand on each of her thighs, he kissed her passionately. Their tongues battled for dominance as she wrapped her arms tight around his neck.

Tosh and Ianto looked at Jack, expecting him to break them up. He looked between them and shrugged.

"It's a happy time for them. I'll give them a few minutes." He said quietly.

He shooed them away and followed them out.

"Do you think that's wise? You know how those two can get." Ianto said.

"Good point. I'd better stop them before -" Jack was interrupted by a loud crashing noise coming from the autopsy bay. "I may be too late." He ran onto the balcony to see Owen's equipment all over the floor. The man in question had Gwen pressed up against a wall, her legs wrapped around his waist and her hands on his shoulders for support. He was pressing kisses down her neck and gradually working downwards. "Oi, break it up." Jack shouted.

Owen looked up at Jack and dropped Gwen's legs back on the floor. He took a step back from her and grinned mischievously. She hid her face in his chest and waited for Jack to leave.

"We should…get on with some work." She mumbled.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Owen nodded.

"Yes…right…let's go." She said and walked back up to the main area.

Over the next two weeks, they were all busy with work and finishing the wedding plans.

On the morning of the wedding, Gwen woke up to the sound of her mother running about the house to wake everyone else. She'd shared her bed with her mother while Tosh took the guest room and the rest of Gwen's friends were scattered around the rest of the house.

Mary poked her head around the bedroom door and smiled.

"Come on, get up. You don't want to be late for your own wedding do you?" She asked.

"I'm coming." Gwen groaned.

She sat up and clapped her hand to her mouth. Her stomach churned as she ran past her mother to the bathroom. Tosh saw her as she came out of the guest bedroom.

"Gwen, are you ok?" She called.

Gwen threw up just as she reached the toilet. She took a deep breath and sat on the floor, her eyes closed. Tosh and Mary followed her in.

"Just what I need, bloody morning sickness. I thought I'd got away with it." She mumbled.

"You'll be fine in a couple of minutes." Mary reassured her.

Heaving herself up off the floor, she went back into her room and flopped onto the bed.

"Gwen come on, you've got to get ready." Tosh said.

"What's the point? I'll look awful. I might as well go as I am." She moaned.

"Come on." Tosh sighed, pulling her up. "Go, shower."

Mumbling under her breath, Gwen did as she was told.

Over at Owen's old flat, the boys were stirring. Owen slept in his old room while Jack, Ianto and Geraint slept in the living room.

As Owen walked into the living room, eyes half closed, a hot cup of coffee was placed in his hand.

"Cheers Ianto." He mumbled.

He didn't need his eyes open to know who it would be. Owen's mobile began to ring as he sat down on the sofa. He groaned at the noise and clutched his head. Geraint shook his head as Jack and Ianto smirked at him. Ianto picked up the phone and answered it.

"Hello." He said.

"Ianto, it's Gwen. Where's Owen?" She asked.

"Hey Gwen." Ianto smiled. Owen looked up at Ianto and gestured for him not to tell her. "Owen's not feeling too good, he had a little bit too much last night."

Owen glared at Ianto.

"Well at least I won't be the only one looking like hell at this wedding." She sighed.

"Is everything alright? You're not sounding too good yourself." Ianto asked.

"Morning sickness." Gwen answered as Owen jumped off the sofa and held out his hand for the phone. "Actually…hang on – sorry."

Ianto cringed as he heard Gwen running into the bathroom to throw up. He passed the phone to Owen and dodged as Owen went to hit his arm.

"Gwen sweetheart, are you ok?" He asked.

"Fine." She whispered weakly. "You're in trouble mister, I told you not to get pissed."

"I know but it's not my fault. Jack and Ianto kept shoving drinks in my hand." He told her.

"You liar." Ianto whispered.

"Hey, if I'm going down you two are coming with me." Owen hissed.

"How's my dad?" Gwen asked.

"He's fine. He can handle his drink better than I can." Owen laughed. "How's everything going?"

"Tosh and my mum are driving me mad. I just want to sit down and have a nice cup of tea. They said I wasn't allowed to call you so I was trying to hide but my mum saw me run to the bathroom a minute ago so they know I'm here." She told him.

"You make it sound like you're hiding from a bunch of bad guys from a movie." He laughed.

"Well I know at least one of them owns a gun." Gwen giggled.

"Ah yes, Miss Sato." Owen nodded.

"I miss you." Gwen sighed.

"Me too. It was so weird being back here again. It made everything feel like a dream." Owen said.

"Hang on, someone's coming." She whispered.

Owen heard the bathroom door open and footsteps approaching.

"Gwen Cooper, I know you're on the phone to Owen." Tosh's voice scolded.

"No I'm not." Gwen lied.

"Don't lie. Give me the phone." Tosh demanded.

"I haven't got…fine." She sighed. "I love you Owen. I'll see you at the wedding."

"Love you too sweetheart." Owen smiled.

Tosh snatched the phone from Gwen's hand.

"Owen, you've got a wedding to get ready for now get to it." Tosh demanded.

Before he could answer, Tosh hung up the phone. Owen turned and glared at Ianto.

"What did you tell her that for?" He shouted.

"It was funny." Ianto shrugged.

"Mr Cooper, why don't you go ahead and meet the girls. I'm sure they could use a hand." Jack's voice interrupted the conversation.

All heads turned to Jack, frowning in confusion. Geraint was the only one ready out of the boys. He was set on not being late for his daughter's wedding and had woken up before everyone else to get ready. He nodded as he left the flat.

"What's going on?" Ianto asked.

Jack pulled his sleeve up and showed them his wrist strap. He was using it to keep track of the rift while they were away from the Hub. It was bleeping meaning the rift was active.

"You two can go sort it out. I'll tell Gwen and Tosh what's going on when I see them." Owen said.

"Owen, I need you to come with us." Jack told him.

"I can't. If I'm late, she'll kill me. This is one of the most important days in our lives." Owen argued.

"Look, if you get ready now, it'll only take…twenty minutes tops. You'll have plenty of time before the wedding." Jack said.

"I can't take that risk." Owen replied.

"I swear to you, twenty minutes. You can leave if it takes any longer." Jack promised.

"Alright fine. If I'm late, I'll kill you and I'm pretty sure Gwen will too." Owen told him.

Gwen was sat in front of the mirror in her bedroom, applying her make-up when Geraint arrived. As one of her friends, Carrie, stood behind her to do her hair, he entered the room.

"How's my daughter?" He asked.

"Nervous but I can't wait." She smiled.

The queasy feeling had dulled down and excitement began to kick in.

He bent down to kiss her on the forehead and smiled. Mary walked in, carrying Gwen's dress draped over her arm. She hung it on the wardrobe door and went to join them.

"It'll be lovely to meet Owen's parents at last." Mary smiled.

Gwen shared a quick glance with Tosh before looking back at her mum.

"Mum…Owen's parents aren't going to be there." She said quietly.

"Why not?" Mary frowned.

"His dad ran out on him when he was a child and he hasn't heard from him since. He hasn't seen his mum since he was sixteen when she kicked him out. I've tried to get him to contact them but he…he doesn't want them to be there." Gwen sighed.

"Oh, the poor boy." Mary said sadly.

Gwen smiled and turned back to the mirror.

"How were the boys last night?" Gwen asked her dad.

"They were…pretty well behaved. That American was a bit of a handful though." He frowned.

"That's Jack alright. Let me guess, he was flirting with pretty much everyone he laid his eyes on." Tosh grinned.

"Yes he was." Geraint nodded.

Gwen and Tosh laughed at his reaction.

Hours later, they were all ready to leave for the wedding. Mary had tears in her eyes as she looked at Gwen in her wedding dress. Geraint led them out to the cars.

When they arrived at the posh hotel, they saw the guests standing around looking confused.

"What's going on? Where's Ianto? He was supposed to tell everyone where to go." Gwen said as she climbed out of the car.

"I don't know. I'll go over and sort everyone out." Tosh sighed.

Gwen looked around for any signs of Owen, Jack and Ianto.

"Where the hell are they?" She hissed angrily.

Tosh returned after everyone was seated in the right places.

"No one's seen or heard from them." Tosh told her.

"When I get my hands on them." Gwen mumbled. "Come on, we'd better wait inside."

She linked arms with her father as they made their way inside.

An hour passed and there were still no signs of the boys. Tosh tried each of their phones but couldn't get through.

Gwen was pacing in reception getting angrier with every passing minute.

"I'm sure they have a good reason." Tosh said, not believing her own words. Her phone vibrated in her hand. She looked down at it and saw Owen's name on the screen. "Where the hell are you?" She spat as she answered it.

"We had to go to the Hub, the rift's been active. Tell Gwen I'm really sorry and that I'll be there as soon as I can. Please don't tell her we're at the Hub, she really will kill me." Owen explained.

"Owen, I think you're pretty much dead already." Tosh told him as she looked up at a furious Gwen.

"I know. Just please tell her I love her. I'm trying my best to get there." He promised.

"Alright, just hurry up." Tosh hissed. She hung up and looked back at Gwen. "The driver…got lost…and they're on the way now."

"You don't have to lie. I heard everything." She said. Gwen turned away from Tosh and looked out of the window. "He did it again."

"Did what?" Tosh asked.

"Jack calls and he goes running." She laughed bitterly at the memory.

Owen eventually made it to the hotel. Tosh was waiting in reception as he, Jack and Ianto rushed in.

"Ok we're here now." He said, trying to catch his breath.

"It's too late." Tosh said.

"What do you mean?" Owen frowned.

"Gwen's gone." Tosh told him. "She asked me to give you this."

Holding out her hand, she walked over to them. She opened her hand and showed him the contents. He stared down at the ring in her hand and froze.

"No, she can't be gone. She's just trying to get me back for being late." He said.

Running past her, he made his way into the main room. It was empty. On one of the chairs, there was a piece of paper. Snatching it up, he instantly recognised Gwen's writing.

"___I knew you'd do it again, but I didn't think it would be on our wedding day. Tell Jack I won't be at work for a while.  
I really thought this was it, something was finally working out in my life, but I guess I was wrong.  
Goodbye. Gwen xxx"_

He sat down on the seat and clutched the paper in his hands. Jack sat down quietly beside him.

"I'm sorry. I should have let you go." He whispered.

"Leave me alone Jack. Just leave me alone." Owen growled.

He stormed out of the room and into reception.

Grabbing the ring off Tosh, he ran out to the car and jumped in. The driver frowned in confusion but started the engine. Owen told him his address.

He was going to find her. He was going to apologise and he was going to marry her.


	10. Chapter 10

Gwen's parents had taken Gwen home. She changed out of her wedding dress and into an old pair of jogging bottoms and a t-shirt. The dress was shoved into the back of the wardrobe. She took enough clothes to last her a week and met her parents back in their car.

"Are you sure you about this? Why don't you wait for him to come home so you can talk things over?" Mary asked.

"That boy is no good. I knew it from the start. Rhys would never have done this to her." Geraint told her.

"Dad, stop it. Just leave it. Can we get going please?" Gwen asked impatiently.

Mary gazed at her before turning back to the front. Geraint started the car and began to drive them to their home in Swansea. Sighing, Gwen leant her head back on the seat and looked out the window, her hands resting on her stomach. Unshed tears were threatening to fall but she fought them back. She was determined not to cry.

The journey lasted almost an hour although the silence in the car made it seem like forever.

As soon as Mary opened the door, Gwen made her way into living room and curled up on the window seat. She hugged her knees tight to her chest and rested her forehead on them. It was her favourite spot to sit as a child and she needed to feel the comfort it gave her back then.

Geraint and Mary watched sadly as they carried in their bags from the car.

When Owen found the house empty, he rang Gwen's mobile. On the third ring someone answered.

"Hey Owen." Tosh's voice said angrily.

"Tosh? What are you doing with Gwen's phone? Is she with you?" Owen demanded.

"No…I must have forgotten to give it her back when I took it off her earlier. I'm sorry." Tosh apologised.

"Well, do you know where she is?" He asked.

"She wouldn't tell me where she was going. To be honest, even if I knew I wouldn't tell you. What you did to Gwen was terrible." She shouted.

"I know, I know. She has every right to hate me right now but I love her and I want her back." He told her, his voice breaking.

"Why? So you can let her down like this again?" Tosh spat.

"No. Tosh, I never want to do that to her again. I can't live without her. Please, help me find her." He begged.

"Fine. She might be at her parents." Tosh mumbled.

"Thank you Tosh." He said.

"That's all the help you're getting." She huffed and put the phone down.

He changed quickly and ran to find the address book. He knew Gwen's parents address was in it. He rummaged through drawers and cupboards until he found it. Tearing out the page with it on, he ran to his car.

He stopped off at the Hub before he left. Jack, Ianto and Tosh were all there. Tosh glared at him as he entered and it was clear she was ignoring Jack too. Jack was trying to talk to her but she walked off and went to finish her report in the meeting room.

"Owen, what can I do for you?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, Jack, don't think I've forgiven you for making me miss my wedding. Gwen's gone and I'm going to find her. If you can rearrange the wedding for next Friday, I may forgive you." He said.

"I'm on it. Do you think she'll forgive you?" Jack asked.

"I don't know but I have to try." Owen answered.

"Go get her. I'll get everything organised." Jack nodded.

Owen ran out of the Hub and climbed in his car. He drove out to the address, praying she was there.

When he reached her parents' house, he took a deep breath and jumped out.

Gwen froze as she saw him through the window. She quickly slipped off the window seat and ran up to her old room.

He knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. Geraint opened the door and glared at him.

"You've got a nerve showing your face here boy." He growled.

"Mr Cooper, I'm really sorry about what I did. If Gwen's here, please tell her I need to speak to her." He begged.

"My daughter's not here." Geraint lied.

"Do you know where she is?" Owen asked.

"No, I don't. Now I think you should leave and don't you dare come back." He said.

The door was closed in Owen's face. He turned and leant back on it. Closing his eyes, he tried to think of where she could be. He slowly made his way back to his car. Before he got in, he took one last look at the house and froze.

Gwen stood in her old bedroom at the window, staring down at him. She lost the battle against her tears as they finally spilled down her cheeks. As he turned and spotted her, she ducked out of the way and threw herself onto the bed and cried into her pillow.

Owen knew it was no use trying to get back in the house with her parents there. He had to find a way to get her to speak to him.

Mary entered Gwen's bedroom and sat down next to her on the bed. Placing a hand on her back, she gazed sadly at her daughter.

"Owen was here. He wants to speak to you. Your father sent him on his way but I think he's still outside." She told her.

"I can't." Gwen whispered.

She turned over onto her back and put her hands across her stomach. Her eyes fell to her hands and fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. Mary looked around the room and tried to change the subject.

"We kept this room just as you left it before you went to college." She smiled.

Gwen looked around the small room. The walls were painted lilac dotted with pictures she'd drawn as a child. Her stuffed toys were still placed around the room. She grabbed a big, fluffy teddy from the top of her bed and hugged it tight to her chest, running her fingers through it's fur.

"It's smaller than I remember." She sighed.

As she sat up, her mum pulled her into a hug. Gwen rested her head on her mum's shoulder and closed her eyes. They sat like this for a few minutes, Mary gently rocking her. It broke her heart to see Gwen like this, reminding her of a vulnerable child needing her mother. Gwen's mother broke away and smiled at her.

"I'm going to go and make us some tea. Why don't you go wash up and come back down." She said.

Gwen watched her leave. To be honest, she didn't feel like eating but she wasn't in the mood to argue with her mum. She walked back over to the window and saw that Owen's car was gone.

Sighing, she made her way to the bathroom. She washed off her make-up and looked into the mirror. The tear stains were gone but it was still clear that she'd been crying. She pulled the clips out of her hair and let it fall around her face. Running a hand through it, she made her way back into the living room and sat in her favourite spot.

Mary called her into the dining room when tea was ready. She sat picking at her lasagne with her fork, taking tiny mouthfuls every so often. She ate half of it before she gave up and went back upstairs for an early night.

As she made her way upstairs, she heard her parents talking.

"I'm telling you, if she'd have stayed with Rhys, she'd be happily married by now." Her father said.

"Geraint shut up." Mary hissed. "But…I guess you're right. He was a lovely boy. Maybe Owen takes after his father. From what Gwen told us, it sounds like it wouldn't have ended well between them."

"She's better off without him." Geraint sighed.

A single tear trickled down her cheek as she closed her bedroom door.

Owen managed to find a hotel to stay in for the night. There was no way he was going back to Cardiff without speaking to her.

He sat on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands, thinking of ways to get Gwen alone. Her ring rested on the bedside table. Her father would never let him in to see her and he doubted he would pass on any messages. The best way would be to wait until she was alone. He'd have to hide his car somewhere so she didn't recognise who it was and ignore him. He crawled into bed and picked up the ring. Clutching it tight in his hand, he fell into an uneasy sleep.

The next morning, he woke up early and left the hotel. Parking his car around the corner from Gwen's parents' house, he waited for them to come out.

Gwen made her way downstairs and into the living room. She was exhausted last night and had woken up late. She knew that was the only sleep she would be getting for a while. Geraint walked into the room.

"Morning duckling." He smiled.

"Hey dad." She mumbled.

"Your mum and I need to do a bit of shopping. Will you be ok on your own?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." She nodded.

"Ok, we'll see you when we get back." He said.

Geraint smiled and left the room. She heard them leave moments later.

The house was silent and still around her. Someone knocked on the door, disturbing the peace. She ignored it thinking they would go away but the knocking grew louder and more impatient. She sighed and went to answer it.

"Ok, ok, I'm coming." She mumbled.

As she opened the door, her eyes fell on Owen. She stopped and went to close it again. He put his hand out to stop it.

"Gwen please. Just hear me out." He said.

"I'm not interested." She said as calmly as she could.

"I'm not leaving until you let me explain." He told her.

"What's to explain? You chose to go to work instead of your own wedding and that's that." She spat.

"No, it wasn't like that." Owen argued.

Gwen laughed bitterly and tried again to shut the door. He put his foot in the way and pushed it open. She glared at him before turning and walking back inside. He followed her in, closing the door behind him. They went into the living room where Gwen stood as far away from him as she could.

"Ok, the sooner we get this over with, the sooner you can leave." She said.

"I'm really sorry for what I did to you. Jack told me it would only take twenty minutes. I told him I couldn't but…in the end I went. I wanted to leave but people were getting injured. I tried to get there, ask Ianto he'll tell you. I was going crazy." Owen told her.

"I don't care about you being late. It was the fact that you promised me you'd never do it again…and you broke your promise." She said, her voice breaking.

"I know. You have no idea how bad I feel. If I could turn back time, I would." He walked slowly over to her and held her hand in his. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she looked at the floor. "Please come back. I love you, I can't live without you. I need you Gwen. I need you…and our baby." He whispered.

He placed a hand on her stomach. She pulled away and looked into his eyes.

"Owen…I…please go." She whispered.

"What? Gwen please…don't do this." He begged, tears rolling down his own cheeks.

"I can't do this any more. Please…just go." She sobbed.

"Fine, I'll go but let me say one last thing. The wedding's being arranged for next Friday, same time, same place. I will be there waiting for you and this time, nothing's going to stop me. I'll wait all day for you if I have to. If you don't show up…I'll know it's really over and…I'll leave you alone. Until then, I'm not giving up on you. I love you." He told her.

Stepping forward, he grabbed her hand and pressed something into it. He ran his other hand through her hair and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. The urge to respond was bubbling up inside her but she pulled away and turned her head away from him. She watched him leave before looking down at her hand. He'd given her the ring back. She held it tight in her hand as she stood shaking while she cried.

Tosh came to visit her at her parents' every day. The first time she went was to give Gwen her phone back but Gwen begged her to come back.

On one of the days, Owen had asked her to take the wedding dress. Gwen had cried into her shoulder all evening.

After every visit Owen would interrogate Tosh to find out if Gwen had changed her mind. Every day it was the same answer.

On Thursday night, they were sitting in the Hub.

"How is she?" Owen asked.

"Her parents are worried sick. She's stopped eating and sleeping properly and she's not speaking to anyone. She just sits there alone in her room, staring into space. They're worried it's going to hurt the baby. It's not getting what it needs because she won't eat." Tosh told him.

"I did this to her." Owen whispered. "Oh God, Tosh, what have I done to her?"

"She'll pull out of this, I know she will." She reassured him. "Once she realises what she's doing, she'll snap out of it. She won't let anything happen to this baby. The other day, when I went up to her room, I heard her talking about you to the baby."

"What did she say? Did she say anything about tomorrow?" He demanded.

"She just spoke about the things you used to do together and what you'd planned to do. She said…she was confused because…she still has feelings for you but she can't be in a relationship where promises are always being broken." Tosh said.

"The ring. What did she do with the ring?" He asked.

"She holds it in her hand. Sometimes, it looks as if she's going to put it on but then she just puts it in her other hand." Tosh sighed.

"Well…I guess we'll find out her decision tomorrow." He said.

Tosh nodded and smiled sadly. He left the Hub and made his way home.

The next day, the team met up at the hotel. The guests arrived soon after. Owen waited nervously for Gwen to show up. The minutes ticked by slowly as everyone waited.

Gwen sat in her room, staring at the wedding dress and rolling the ring between her fingers. She picked up her phone and turned it on. There were a dozen missed calls, all from Tosh. She sighed and dropped her phone back onto her bed.

Owen paced the front of the hall while everyone watched him.

"Tosh, have you heard anything from Gwen?" Jack asked.

"No, I tried calling but her phone's switched off and her parents aren't answering either." Tosh sighed.

"There's still time, we've got fifteen minutes until the wedding's supposed to start. Jack, can you go and watch for her?" Owen asked.

Jack nodded and went out into the reception area. Tosh patted Owen's arm. Ianto went out to join Jack.

With one minute to go, Jack and Ianto returned to the main room. The Captain shook his head sadly as Owen looked up at him. Owen slumped into a chair and held his face in his hands.

"I'm sure she's on her way." Tosh reassured him.

"Who am I kidding? She's not coming." He said.

"She could just be late. Maybe she's stuck in traffic." Ianto suggested.

"I'll try calling her again." Tosh said and left the room.

"What's the point? I've lost her. Gwen…our baby…they're gone." He whispered.

As Gwen was taking a shower, her phone lit up on the bed and began to ring. The water pounding onto the tiles prevented her from hearing it.

When she returned to her room, wrapped in a towel, she saw that Tosh had left her a message. She held the phone to her ear and listened to it.

"Gwen, it's Tosh. Everyone's waiting for you. Please, give Owen a second chance. He got Jack to reorganise everything, doesn't that tell you how much he loves you? I know you still love him. Don't let him go. I'll see you soon."

As the message ended, Gwen looked back up at the wedding dress.

Tosh returned a few minutes later.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't get through. She's turned her phone on but she's not answering. I left her a message." Tosh told him.

"Owen, you try calling her. Maybe she's waiting for you to call." Jack said.

"I'll try but I doubt she'll answer to me." He sighed. Taking his phone out, he dialled Gwen's number and pressed the phone to his ear. After the first ring, the line went dead. He pulled the phone away from his ear and stared down at it. "She hung up on me."

They all looked down at Owen sadly. Tosh's phone vibrated in her hand. She ran out of the room as she saw Gwen's name flashing on the screen.

"Gwen, are you coming?" She asked as she answered it.

"I…I don't know. I need more time." Gwen answered.

"Well, Owen thinks you're not coming. I can try and hold him for a bit longer but I don't know how much longer." Tosh said.

"Thanks. Tell him…tell him I…it doesn't matter." She sighed.

"Do you want me to tell him you called?" She asked.

"No. Just keep him there for as long as you can. I need to think this over." Gwen said.

"Ok, I'll see what I can do." Tosh said.

"Thank you. I'll see you later." Gwen said and put the phone down.

When Tosh returned to the hall, Owen looked up at her hopefully.

"It was just some guy trying to sell me stuff." She lied.

Owen sighed and stood up.

"She's not coming. I might as well face it. I'll see you tomorrow at the Hub…possibly." He sighed.

Tosh grabbed his arm as he walked past.

"Wait, just give her some more time. You said you'd wait all day for her if you had to." Tosh reminded him.

"I know but if she was coming, she would have answered our calls." Owen argued.

"Just…wait. Give it another hour or so. You know it takes about an hour to get from Swansea to Cardiff. Just be patient." Tosh told him.

Owen shrugged and sat back down.

Almost two hours later, the sound of quick footsteps in reception echoed into the room. Owen stood up quickly and turned towards the doors as they opened.


	11. Chapter 11

******A/N:** I'd like to thank ******Gwento-addict**, ******Gwen Harkness** and ******Helen P **for their amazing reviews, they really made my day. Thank you guys! I'm glad you're enjoying it and I hope the next chapter is as good as the rest. I'm sorry it took so long to update too! I've not had five minutes to myself! Well...here we go...

Gwen stood in the doorway in her wedding dress, the ring shining on her finger. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Owen walked towards her and saw that she was crying. He held her face in his hands and wiped away her tears with his thumbs. Leaning down, he crushed his lips against hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and clung onto him. When they broke away, they rested their foreheads together and closed their eyes.

"Owen I love you." She whispered.

"I love you too so, so much." He told her. "Do you still want to do this?"

"Yes. I want to marry you, today." She nodded.

He held her hand tightly and led her towards the front of the room. Gwen's parents followed her in. Geraint glared at Owen who looked away quickly. It would take a long time for her parents to trust him again.

During the ceremony, Gwen clasped Owen's hand in hers and locked their fingers together. He smiled at her and gently squeezed her hand. It took her a few minutes to say her vows through her tears.

After the wedding, everyone moved out to the hotel gardens for the reception. Gwen's father approached them and Gwen gave him a warning look.

"I can't say I agree with Gwen's choice to come back but…I can see how much you mean to each other and all that matters to me is that she's happy. I'm prepared to give you a second chance for her sake." He told them.

"Thank you Mr Cooper. That means a lot to us." Owen nodded.

"Please, call me Geraint." He said.

Gwen pulled her dad into a hug and smiled.

"Thank you dad. I love you." She whispered.

He kissed her cheek and left the newly weds alone. Owen wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her tight to his chest. She put her arms around his neck and buried her head in his shoulder.

"I'm never letting you go again." He whispered.

She looked up at him and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. When she pulled away, they gazed into each other's eyes. The moment was broken as Tosh came up to them.

"I told you to be patient." She smiled.

Owen untangled himself from Gwen and pulled Tosh into a quick hug.

"Did you know she was coming?" He asked.

"No, but I knew it was a possibility." She answered. "Tell him, Gwen."

Owen looked at Gwen with questioning eyes. She smiled as she took his hand in hers.

"I called her and asked her to keep you there as long as she could. I needed more time to think but I knew from the beginning that I'd always come back." Gwen told him.

Tosh hugged them both and disappeared into the crowd. Owen turned to Gwen and wrapped his arm around her waist. Her stomach growled loudly causing her to blush a deep shade of red.

"Oh yes, you're in trouble missy. Don't think I haven't heard about you not eating or sleeping." He told her.

She looked up at him sheepishly and bit her lip.

"I couldn't…I just…" She mumbled.

"Come on, let's get you something to eat." He said.

She frowned as he led her away from the reception.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"You need a proper meal, especially now you're eating for two." He told her.

"But we can't just leave. They'll be wondering where we've disappeared to." She argued.

"No one's going to notice if we're gone for an hour or so. Anyway, we deserve some time alone together." He shrugged.

"We can't go dressed like this." She argued.

"Why not? You look beautiful. We'll be fine, trust me." He said.

Gwen sighed and let him pull her towards the cars. They took one of the wedding cars and left the wedding. She insisted they went home first so she could change, saying that she'd change back into her wedding dress before they got back to the wedding.

When they reached the restaurant, Gwen ate her meal and finished off Owen's. He ordered them pudding and smiled as she scoffed it down. She looked up at him, embarrassed when he pushed his towards her.

"Sorry, I must look like a right pig." She mumbled.

"No, no you look fine. I'm just glad you're eating now. You know your parents were worried sick about you and so was I." He told her.

"I know…I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to…I should apologise to them." She sighed.

"Just promise me you won't ever do something like that again." Owen said.

"I swear I won't ever do that again so long as you promise not to do that to me again." She told him.

"I swear to you, with my hand on my heart, that I will never do that to you again. This time I'm deadly serious." He told her.

She smiled and squeezed his hand.

"We'd better go back." She sighed.

He nodded and led her out to the car. She climbed in the back so she could change back into her wedding dress as he sat in the driver's seat.

When they pulled up outside the hotel, Owen jumped out of the car and held the door open for Gwen.

"Mrs Harper." He smiled.

"That's going to take some getting used to." She giggled as she climbed out. "The amount of times I've got dressed in the back of a car and it never gets any easier."

"You should know. The amount of times we spent in the back of my car when you were still with…" His voice trailed off as Gwen looked sadly at the floor.

He cleared his throat uncomfortably as she straightened her dress out. She grabbed his hand as they made their way back towards the reception. They managed to slip back in unnoticed. It seemed that no one had noticed they'd been missing either.

At the end of the night, Owen turned to Gwen.

"Are you ready to go on our honeymoon?" He asked.

"Erm…yeah about that…" Jack interrupted.

"What? Jack, what's wrong?" Owen demanded.

"Well, you only asked me to rearrange the wedding so…I sort of forgot to include the honeymoon in the rearrangements…sorry." He said nervously.

"Jack." Owen sighed. "Well, can we just have the week off then?"

"Sorry, no can do on that. If it was a proper honeymoon, I would have let you go." He replied.

"But we've just been married, it's meant to be our honeymoon. We're missing out on a week of…well you know…and don't you think we deserve a week alone after everything we've been through?" He argued.

"I'm sorry but I can't control the rift. I'm going to need you both at the Hub." He told them.

Owen sighed and turned to Gwen.

"I'm sorry about this. What do you want to do?" He asked her.

"It's ok, I don't want some big fancy honeymoon. I just want to go home. We can just spend as much time as we can together whenever the rift behaves." She shrugged.

"Are you sure?" Owen asked, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Yes." She nodded and yawned. "Now can we please go home?"

"Sure, Mrs Harper." He smiled.

They climbed into the back of one of the cars and asked the driver to take them home. Owen wrapped his arm around Gwen as she leant her head on his shoulder. He could tell she was slowly drifting off as they made their way home.

When they reached the house, he gently lifted her out of the car and carried her to the door. He stood for a few minutes, trying to figure out how he was going to unlock it. Placing her back on her feet, he wrapped her arm around his neck for support and felt in his pocket for the key. He unlocked the door and threw the keys into the house. He picked Gwen back up and carried her upstairs to their bedroom.

As he placed her on the bed, her eyes fluttered open and looked up at him.

"Sorry, did I fall asleep?" She mumbled.

She tried to sit up but Owen pushed her back down gently.

"No, go back to sleep, you need it." He said softly.

"But it's our wedding night." She protested.

"It doesn't matter, go back to sleep." He told her.

"Fine. Throw me some pyjamas then." She sighed. He pulled her out a pair and threw them on the bed. They changed and crawled underneath the covers. Gwen held his face in her hands and kissed him gently. "Love you." She whispered as she rested her head on his chest.

"I love you too." He told her.

Wrapping his arms around her, he listened to her soft breathing. As he breathed in her unique scent, tears stung his eyes while he thought of trying to live his life without her. He gently ran his hand up and down her arm causing a purring like sound to emit from her throat. He kissed the top of her head and drifted off to sleep.

When Gwen woke up in the morning, she found Owen on his side watching her.

"Hey." She smiled.

"Morning Mrs Harper." Pulling her chin up, he caught her lips in a kiss and pulled away. "Come on, I want to show you something." He whispered.

Frowning in confusion, she let Owen pull her up off the bed and lead her out of the room.

"What is it?" She asked.

They stood outside the nursery door. Owen smiled and took her hand. He opened the door and motioned for her to go inside. She gasped as she entered.

"I got Tosh to help me out every day before she went to see you." He told her.

The walls had been painted a soft yellow and were dotted with shelves. The shelves were filled with nursery rhyme books and stuffed toys. Inside the cot was a huge fluffy brown bear. A pine set of drawers stood in the corner ready for them to be filled with the baby's clothes.

Gwen stood in the middle of the room and looked around. Owen walked up behind her and placed his arms around her waist, resting his hands on her stomach. She leant her head back on his shoulder and placed her hands over his.

"It's beautiful." She gasped.

"Do you like it?" He asked.

"I love it, it's wonderful." She turned to face him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you."

"I wanted to make everything perfect after…what we've been through." He explained.

"It is perfect. This baby is lucky to have you as a dad." She told him.

"Me, a dad. Wow…that's scary…I hadn't thought about it…it's exciting though." He nodded.

She laughed and captured his lips in a kiss. As the kiss deepened, she pulled him back towards their bedroom.

Eight months later, they were sat on the sofa watching television. Gwen lay with her head in Owen's lap, cradling her huge bump as he ran his fingers through her hair. She was two weeks overdue and her hormones were all over the place. Owen had to hide the guns from her when she got in a temper. He made the excuse of not wanting the baby to get it's hands on them. They didn't know the gender as Gwen had refused to know until the big day.

Gwen fidgeted uncomfortably in his lap and sat up, clutching the arm of the sofa.

"Owen, get my hospital bag." She said to him.

"Why? Gwen, what's wrong?" He demanded. She looked at him and placed her hand on her stomach. "Oh…oh right. Erm…just sit back and relax, I'll get the car loaded. Don't get up until I come back. Just relax, everything's going to be fine."

"I know. Owen I think you're the one that needs to relax." She laughed as he ran out of the room.

Minutes later, he helped her into the car and climbed into the driver's seat. He kept glancing nervously at her hands across her stomach as he drove to the hospital. She was sat back, totally calm and gazing out the window. The only time she made a sound was when she felt a twinge.

"Are you ok? Does it hurt? Just take deep breaths." He told her as he took deep breaths himself.

"It's not too bad yet, just a bit uncomfortable. Will you calm down please? Anyone would think it was you having the baby." She sighed.

"Sorry, I'm new to this." He mumbled.

"So am I but you don't see me panicking and I'm the pregnant one." She argued.

"Yes, but you're a woman. You think about these things as kids so you're all prepared for this." He said.

Gwen rolled her eyes and sighed.

When they reached the hospital, she was taken into a private room until the baby was ready to arrive.

Owen held her hand as the contractions grew closer and closer together.

"Ok, now it's starting to hurt." She gasped.

"Shall I get the doctor?" He asked.

"No, no it's fine." She said.

The doctor came in ten minutes later to check on her.

"You're ready to go down to the delivery room." He smiled.

Owen was hesitant to go down with her but she clung onto his hand and begged him not to leave her.

She squeezed his hand tightly as the midwife told her to push. He cringed as she screamed and tried to look away.

"Gwen, you're cutting the blood to my hand. You have no idea how much this hurts." He told her.

She glared at him as he realised what he just said.

"I'd like to see you try this." She shouted. "This is your bloody fault. I swear, if you ever touch me again, I'll kill you."

"I'm sorry. Just breath. You can do it." He said.

She screamed as she pushed again.

"I can see the head. Mr Harper would you like to have a look?" The midwife asked.

Owen edged towards him and looked down.

"Wow, that is…gross but it's…beautiful in it's own little way." He laughed.

Minutes later, Gwen pushed her last push and fell back on the bed. She was breathing heavily as the midwife took the baby to be cleaned up.

"It's a beautiful baby boy." He told them.

Owen beamed as he bent down to kiss Gwen's sticky forehead.

"Is it over?" She mumbled.

"Yes, it's all over now. Our little boy is finally here." He smiled.

She smiled up at him and fell asleep. Owen laughed and ran his hand through her hair.

When she woke up, she saw that they'd taken her back up to a private room. Owen was surrounded by her parents and the rest of the Torchwood team as he held the baby in his arms.

"What's his name?" Tosh asked.

"He hasn't got one yet. She fell asleep before we got the chance." He laughed.

Tosh peeked over Owen's shoulder at Gwen. She tapped him excitedly on the shoulder.

"She's awake." She said.

Owen turned around and smiled at her. He walked over and sat down on the bed. Gwen pulled herself up so she could see the sleeping baby.

"So, have you thought of any names?" He asked.

"Not really. I was thinking Jack but…one Jack's enough." She smiled, looking up at the Captain.

"Jack's a cool name. I think you should definitely go for Jack. Just think how great he'll turn out." Jack grinned.

Owen raised his eyebrows and smirked at him.

"Maybe not." He smiled.

Jack folded his arms, looking offended. Ianto stood by his side and looked at the older man.

"I think Jack's a cool name." He reassured him.

Jack grinned at Ianto and winked.

"What do you think?" Gwen asked Owen.

"I like Luke." He said.

"Luke Harper…" She said thoughtfully. "I like it. What about a middle name?"

"How about Owen? After his father." Mary suggested.

Gwen looked up at her mother in shock and then back at Owen. She shrugged and smiled.

"I like the sound of that." She nodded.

"You want to name the baby after me?" He asked. She nodded and smiled at him. He smiled back and looked down at his son. "Sounds good to me."

Pressing a kiss to Luke's forehead, he gently passed him to Gwen. His little eyes fluttered open and peered curiously up at his parents.

"Hey you. I've been waiting two weeks for you to finally arrive. Then you cause me so much pain, I don't think your dad's hand could've taken much more." She laughed. "I love you sweetheart."

"Yeah, next time remind me to wear boxing gloves." Owen smiled.

"Next time? What do you mean?" Gwen asked.

"Well…I always imagined us with two kids, a boy and a girl. I thought in a few years' time we could…try again and have another baby." He explained.

"Owen Harper, the man who used to go around getting pissed in bars and shag any woman he laid his eyes on. Now he's married with a kid. Who'd have thought it?" She laughed.

Gwen's parents looked at each other in shock. They didn't know much about his past as Gwen had been very careful of what she told them.

"I was ready to do all this once. When I was with…"

"Katie." Gwen finished for him.

He nodded and looked away from her. She placed a hand on top of his and squeezed it gently.

"Sorry…I didn't mean to…" He mumbled.

"It's ok sweetheart. I know how much she meant to you and it must have been awful for her to be taken from you like that." She said.

"Yeah…it was." He looked up at Jack and then back at Gwen. "But if it hadn't have happened, I'd never have met you and we wouldn't be here right now. This is where I want to be, right here with you and Luke." He told her.

He wrapped his arm around her and kissed the top of her head.

When it was time to leave, Owen had to be dragged out by Jack.

"They'll be home tomorrow morning, they just want to make sure the baby's ok." Jack said.

"But they can do that with me there. I just want to be with my wife and baby boy." He complained.

Jack noticed his eyes light up and the tone of his voice change as he said the last four words. The Captain smiled at him and pulled him out of the hospital.

"You can see them tomorrow morning. They both need a good rest." Jack said.

Owen tried to argue but he knew Jack was right. After taking one last look at the hospital, he got in his car and drove home.

He waited anxiously for the next morning to arrive.

When he got to the hospital the next morning, Gwen was waiting for him to arrive. She was sitting in the canteen, her bag beside her on the floor and Luke in her arms wrapped in a blanket. He ran over to her and kissed her passionately. When he broke away, he leant down and kissed Luke's forehead.

"How are you?" Owen asked.

"Tired. He woke up a couple of times last night wanting to be fed. I hope you're ready for sleepless nights." She laughed.

"I'll…manage." He smiled.

"Come on, let's go home. I need a good cup of tea." She sighed.

Owen took Luke out of her arms and carried him to the car. They'd already bought a car seat and push chair a few months before.

Gwen watched, smiling, as Owen placed Luke in the seat. He started to cry and Owen held his tiny hand in his, rubbing circles with his thumb.

"Hey, it's alright. We'll soon have you home and out of this horrible thing. It's alright." Owen whispered. Luke's cries turned to little whimpers and he eventually fell asleep. He turned to smile at Gwen as he closed the car door. "That wasn't so hard."

"Oh believe me, it won't always be that easy." She laughed.

Owen sighed as he climbed into the car. Gwen joined him and turned to check on Luke.

As Owen drove them home, she kept turning her head to watch him sleep. She couldn't wait to get home and hold him in her arms again.

"He's going to be so spoilt, isn't he?" Owen joked.

"Well…I hope not. I hate those spoilt, bratty kids." She said.

"Yeah but it's a new experience for us both and you're never going to be able to put him down." Owen smiled.

"Can you blame me? He's beautiful." She said, looking back at him.

She jumped out of the car as Owen pulled up outside their house and took Luke from his seat. Owen smiled and rolled his eyes as he carried Gwen's hospital bag into the house.

As she stepped through the door, Luke woke up and stared at her.

"Here we are Luke. This is home." Owen said as he stood beside them.

******A/N:** Finally! I've been trying to get this posted for two days now but my internet wasn't working! Grr! Well, I hope you enjoyed it. =P


	12. Chapter 12

A few days and sleepless nights later, Gwen and Owen were rushing about the house trying to get ready for work. Neither of them had received much sleep so it didn't take much for their tempers to rise.

"What are we going to do with Luke? We haven't got anyone to look after him." Gwen called from the bedroom.

"He'll have to come with us today." Owen replied.

"No way. He is not going anywhere near that place, it's too dangerous." She argued.

"Well we haven't got anywhere else to take him. Your parents live too far away to drop him off there every morning." He said.

"He is not coming to the Hub." Gwen shouted as she came down the stairs.

"I don't like it either but what choice have we got?" Owen argued.

"It's too dangerous." She said each word slowly and through gritted teeth. "Anyway, what if there's an emergency and Jack needs us. We can't say to Jack 'oh sorry I'd help you stop the world from ending but Luke needs feeding, I'll be with you as soon as I can'. It's not happening Owen."

"Well what do you want me to do? Magic a babysitter out of thin air?" He shouted.

Gwen glared at him as her phone began to ring. She checked the name before answering it.

"Hey Rhys." She said.

"Hey Gwen, I was wondering if you wanted to meet up some time. We could go for a drink." He suggested.

"Rhys, I'll have to organise it with you later. I haven't got time at the minute. I'll call you – Owen, Luke's crying. Go and check on him will you?" She called.

"Who's Luke?" Rhys asked.

"He's…my son. My mum said she told you I was pregnant." She frowned.

"No, she didn't." Rhys answered. "When did you..?"

"A few days ago. He was meant to come two weeks ago but I guess he just wasn't ready. It was bloody agony." She told him.

"Oh…congratulations anyway." Rhys said.

"Thanks. Listen, I've got to go or I'll be late for work. I'll call you later yeah?" She asked.

"No, it's ok. Don't worry about it. I've just remembered I've got a lot of work on at the minute." He lied.

"Oh…ok. I'll see you some other time then." She said.

"Yeah…bye." He mumbled and put the phone down.

Gwen looked at the phone in her hand and sighed. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around. Owen held Luke in one arm while he grabbed Gwen's hand with the other.

"Is everything ok?" He asked softly.

"Rhys didn't know about Luke. I think it's shocked him a bit." She told him.

Owen pulled her into a tight hug and wrapped his free arm around her. She hid her face in his chest and held one of Luke's tiny hands in hers.

"He'll be fine once he's had time to get used to it." He reassured her.

She nodded and pulled away.

"I'll call around and see if I can find someone to look after Luke." She said and walked out of the room.

Owen watched her go before looking down at Luke. The tiny form in his arms looked up at him, oblivious to everything going on around him.

"You're lucky you don't understand what's going on yet. It's a lot easier when you're a baby, trust me." Owen said to him.

Luke just looked up at him with a blank expression. Owen laughed and shook his head.

As he was putting the baby in his little travel cot, Gwen returned to the room.

"Carrie said she'll look after him for us." She told him.

"Alright, we'd best drop him off now then." Owen nodded.

"I'll go get his nappies and stuff." Gwen said.

When they reached Carrie's house, Gwen took Luke out of the travel cot and hugged him tight.

"He's so cute." Carrie smiled.

"I know. Thanks for doing this, I know it's a bit short notice." Gwen said.

"No it's fine. I'm not doing anything today so I might as well make myself useful." She laughed.

Kissing Luke's forehead, she placed him back in the travel cot. Owen placed his arm around her waist.

"Come on." He smiled.

"He'll probably need changing soon. Everything you need is in the bag." Gwen told her.

"Come on, we'll be late." Owen said.

"Call me straight away if anything happens." Gwen told her as Owen dragged her out of the house.

"We'll be fine. Just go." Carrie sighed.

"Are you sure? I don't mind staying -"

"Gwen, they'll be fine." Owen told her.

Gwen looked between Owen and Carrie before nodding. She got in the car and watched as the house disappeared as they rounded a corner.

Entering the Hub, Gwen pulled out her phone.

"I'm just going to check and see if everything's ok." She said.

"Gwen, he's fine and nothing's going to happen to him. If anything was wrong, Carrie would've called. Stop panicking." Owen told her.

Gwen sighed and put her phone away.

"Sorry." She mumbled.

He pulled her into a tight hug and kissed the top of her head.

"Come on, work to be done." He said.

Owen asked Jack to keep her busy so she wouldn't be worrying about Luke all the time.

As she was busy finishing reports, Owen was researching the Vashta Nerada. Jack had received some information and he wanted Owen to find out more. He wouldn't tell them who it was, just that he was a very reliable source.

Tosh was checking for rift activity when she noticed the rift spikes were higher than usual.

"Jack, I think you'd better come see this." She called.

"What is it?" He asked as he made his way over to her from his office.

"The rift. It's active but it's not the usual pattern." She told him.

"I'm getting reports of strange creatures appearing in the streets of Cardiff." Ianto called from the meeting room. "Hang on, I've found footage of them."

The rest of the team quickly joined him. Jack froze as he saw them.

"Jack, what's wrong? Have you seen them before?" Gwen asked.

"Once. They're from Raxacoricofallapatorius, it's the Slitheen. I don't understand, the Doctor said he got rid of them. That must be the rest of the family...she said there were more." Jack mumbled.

"Who said? Jack, what's a Slitheen?" Gwen demanded.

"Slitheen isn't the species. They're Raxacoricofallapatorians, Slitheen's the family name. They kill humans and use their skins as a sort of disguise. There's no way of reasoning with these guys. We've got no choice but…to destroy them and we need to do it quick before they take human form. The only problem is…there's only one way to do that. We need ascetic acid and lots of it." Jack told them.

"Ascetic acid?" Owen frowned.

"Vinegar. We do have some good news though. Harriet Jones insisted that all Torchwood and UNIT bases stock up on these vinegar filled guns after what happened in Downing Street. The old team never used them so we've still got fully loaded guns in the basement." Ianto told them.

"How come I never knew this?" Jack frowned.

Ianto shrugged and shook his head.

"I didn't know what it was for until, well…you just said it." He answered.

"Ok, do we have any specific locations?" Jack asked.

Ianto pulled up a map of Cardiff on the flat screen.

"We have Slitheen in the city centre, along the bay, I can't get any specific streets or roads…hang on I do have a few. That's Janet Street, Marion Street, Singleton Road and Walker Road." Ianto told them.

"What? Ianto, what was that last one?" Gwen demanded.

"Walker Road. Why?" Ianto frowned.

Gwen turned to look at Owen.

"Oh my God. That's where Carrie lives. She's got Luke." Gwen shouted.

Her phone vibrated and began to ring in her pocket. She grabbed it and clamped it to her ear.

"Gwen, there's these big green things outside. They're taking people off the streets, it's like they're hunting." Carrie cried.

"Where's Luke? What's happened to my son?" Gwen demanded.

"He's here with me. He's fine." Carrie told her as she stared, frightened, out of her window.

"Carrie, I'm on my way. Don't go outside and don't let them in." Gwen said.

She slammed the phone down and flew into Owen's arms. He held her tight as she cried into his shoulder. Ianto, Toshiko and Jack ran down to the basement to get the guns. Owen grabbed Gwen's arm as she went to run out of the Hub.

"You can't go out there unarmed. They're dangerous and you could be killed." He told her.

"I don't care, I have to try. Our son is out there Owen and he is in danger." She shouted as tears streamed down her face.

"I know but if we want him safe, we have to do it properly." Owen said.

The rest of the team arrived carrying the guns. She grabbed one from Tosh and ran out of the Hub. Jack threw one to Owen.

"Go with her. You'll need this too." He said as he threw him a tin containing the retcon pills.

Owen followed her out of the Hub and jumped into the car. Gwen was waiting in the passenger seat, knowing he'd follow her. He sped out of the car park and towards Carrie's street.

"Please be safe. Please, not my little boy." She begged. "Owen, can't you go any faster?"

"I'm going as fast as I can. Don't worry, we'll get there. He's going to be fine. I swear to you, if anything happens to him, I'll not stop until every last Slitheen is wiped off the face of this Earth." Owen growled.

When they reached Walker Road, they threw themselves out of the car. Two Slitheen were stood in the centre of the street. As one ran towards them, Owen shot it with his gun and ducked as it exploded. Gwen took out the other one and turned towards Carrie's house.

The door was hanging off it's hinges and she heard screaming from inside. She ran into the house and saw a Slitheen standing over Luke in his travel cot as Carrie tried to get to him.

"Get away from him." Gwen screamed and shot the Slitheen.

As it exploded, Carrie stared at the remains with wide eyes, shaking uncontrollably.

"What the hell was that?" She gasped.

Gwen ignored her and pulled Luke into her arms. She held him tight to her chest and closed her eyes. Owen ran into the house and breathed a sigh of relief as he saw his son, safe in his mother's arms. He wrapped his arms around them both.

"There's no more on this street." He told her.

"What the hell is going on? What were those things?" Carrie demanded.

Owen turned to her and handed her a small white pill.

"Take this, it'll help with the shaking. Trust me, I'm a doctor." He said.

She looked at Gwen for reassurance. When Gwen nodded, she took the pill from Owen and swallowed it. Gwen watched her friend slump down onto the sofa and fall asleep.

"We need to clean up and get her door fixed. I don't want her thinking she's been burgled when she wakes up. She's been through enough, even though she won't remember it." Gwen said.

"I'm on it. You call Jack and the others, see how they're getting on." Owen called as he went into the kitchen to find Carrie's cleaning things.

When she called Jack, he told her that they'd almost finished. He asked her about Luke and she told him everything.

"Listen, if you need to take the day off, do it. We'll manage without you." Jack told her.

"Thanks Jack. I'll see you soon." She said and put the phone down.

As Owen finished clearing up, Gwen paced Carrie's living room holding Luke tight.

"Right, everything's all done here." Owen told her. "Come on, let's go home."

Gwen sat in the back of the car next to Luke's travel cot as they drove home. She held his face in her hand and ran her thumb across his cheek.

"I don't think I can do this. Torchwood's not a place for kids and I'm not letting him out of my sight again." She whispered.

"So…what are you saying?" Owen asked.

"I…I don't know but I don't think I can do this job and raise a child. It's way too dangerous for him and if the only way to keep him safe is to leave Torchwood then…that's what I'll have to do." She told him.

"If we quit Torchwood, Jack will be forced to retcon us. We won't remember anything, getting married, Luke. We'll just forget." He argued.

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Gwen demanded.

"I don't know." Owen mumbled.

"I mean…is there a way of just deleting all the Torchwood bits and keeping the rest?" She asked.

"I don't think so." Owen answered. Gwen looked down at Luke, now asleep and sighed. "Think about it though. Retcon won't get rid of the aliens, they'll still be out there. Luke will be a lot safer with parents that know how to deal with them. You know it's true."

"Yeah I suppose but…I don't know what to do." She sighed.

"Gwen, this was such an unlikely event. What are the chances it'll happen again? We can handle this Gwen." He told her.

"Yeah…we can do this." She nodded. Owen smiled and nodded. "Look at him, asleep after everything that's happened. He has no idea. To be honest, I prefer it like that."

That night, Owen was sat on the bed in their bedroom waiting for Gwen to join him. She'd gone to put Luke in his cot for the night.

After almost an hour, he frowned and made his way to the nursery. Gwen was sat in a chair, leaning on the side of the cot asleep. He couldn't blame her after the day she'd had and the sleepless nights finally catching up with her.

"Gwen." He whispered.

He walked up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. She jumped and opened her eyes.

"What is it?" She mumbled, looking around the room.

"It's alright, you just fell asleep in Luke's room. Come on, come to bed." He said softly.

Gwen looked down at the sleeping Luke, remembering what had happened. She rubbed her eyes and let him pull her up. He wrapped his arm around her waist as she stumbled forward and led her into their bedroom.

She crawled into bed, fully clothed and fell straight back to sleep. Owen climbed in next to her and pulled the covers over them both. Wrapping his arms around her, he felt himself falling into a deep sleep.

The next day, Gwen reluctantly agreed to take Luke into the Hub with them. There was no one available to look after him and they had no other option.

Gwen was left alone with Luke in the Hub while Jack took Owen, Tosh and Ianto Weevil hunting.

"Be careful." Gwen whispered as she kissed him goodbye.

"I'll be fine, it's just Weevil hunting." He told her. "I'll see you later."

He kissed her again and left the Hub.

The Hub was silent as Gwen sat at her computer, gently rocking Luke in her arms. A quiet beeping came from Jack's office. She tried to ignore it but the sound seemed to grow louder and louder. Sighing, she put Luke in his pram and walked into Jack's office. The sound was coming from the safe. She wanted to wait for Jack to return so he could turn it off but it was starting to annoy her. She felt uncomfortable as she opened one of his drawers and looked in his diary for the code.

When she found it, she opened the safe and pulled out the box containing the source of the beeping. Opening the box, she stared down at the ghost machine. Memories of Ed Morgan flashed through her mind causing her to drop the box and cringe away from it. The ghost machine tumbled out of the box and continued to beep. She stared down at it, frightened and willing it to stop.

Without realizing it, she was edging towards it as if something was drawing her in. Her hand reached out to pick it up. As she straightened up, she felt the urge to push the button. She pressed it and gasped as she realised what she'd done.

Looking around her, she saw that she was still in the Hub. Then she saw him, lying on the floor of the office covered in blood. Jack was kneeling next to Owen, tears in his eyes. Owen was barely moving as he looked up at Jack.

"Owen." Gwen gasped.

"Owen, what happened? Who was it?" Jack demanded.

"Jack…find her…find Gwen…please Jack." Owen begged.

"We're trying. I promise you, we'll find her. What happened to you?" Jack asked.

"I came back…thought…maybe they'd left a clue…to find her…he…came up behind me and…I don't know…" He whispered.

"Who? Who was it?" Jack asked urgently.

"He's got her but…it wasn't…who we thought it was…it wasn't…Rhys…find her Jack please." He gasped.

"Rhys? What's happening? Where's Luke?" Gwen demanded, forgetting they couldn't hear her.

"Owen, who was it?" Jack pressed.

"It was…Jack it's…" He gasped.

Before he could finish, his eyes rolled back in his head and he lay completely still.

"Owen!" Jack and Gwen cried.

Jack pulled his body tight to his chest and held him tight.

"We'll find her, I promise." Jack whispered.

The vision ended and Gwen stood, shaking and staring at the spot where Owen lay. She tried to think of what Jack had told her last time, it was one of many possible futures.

A hand gripped Gwen's shoulder and she spun around. Jack was stood behind her, frowning.

"What the hell is that doing out of the safe?" He demanded.

"I'm sorry…it was bleeping and I…" She whispered.

Jack saw the tears glistening in the corners of her eyes and his expression softened. He pulled the machine from her hands and placed it on his desk.

"Whatever you saw, it might not happen." Jack reassured her, changing his grip on her shoulder into a comforting one.

She nodded and looked over Jack's shoulder.

"Where's Owen?" She asked.

"Putting the Weevils in the cells." He told her. After a pause, he asked. "What did you see?"

She shook her head and walked out of the office, tears streaming down her face. Owen came up from the cells and spotted Gwen crying. She ran over to him and threw her arms around his neck, holding him tight.

"Gwen, what's wrong? What's happened?" He demanded.

"Nothing, it doesn't matter." She whispered.

Owen frowned and looked over towards Jack's office. He saw the Captain placing the ghost machine back in it's box and froze. She pulled away and looked into his eyes. There was a strange look in her eyes, like she was hiding something.

"Are you sure it's nothing?" He asked.

"Honestly…it was nothing." She lied. "I love you, I really do."

"I love you too. Gwen what's -"

"Could you ask Ianto to get me a coffee?" She said, changing the subject.

He nodded and looked at her suspiciously. She put on a fake smile and tried to act like everything was fine. As he turned and left, Gwen watched him go before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.


	13. Chapter 13

Owen watched Gwen closely over the next couple of days. He noticed how she'd always be waiting anxiously for him to return if he left the Hub without her and how she never wanted to be alone.

Gwen knew that Owen was worried about her and she tried to act as natural as she could but it was hard for her. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Owen lying dead on the floor of the Hub. All she could hear was his ragged breaths as he tried to speak.

Every second of the day she tried to figure out what Owen was trying to say. What had happened to Owen? Who had done that to him? Why had Owen asked Jack to find her? Where was she? Where was Luke?

She couldn't handle this alone but she didn't want to tell Owen about it. Instead, she decided to tell Jack. He was with Owen in the vision and she needed him to be aware of that in case it happened. He promised her he wouldn't let it happen. Maybe he would be able to stop it from coming true.

One morning, she was sat on the sofa at home, staring into space. She was unaware of Owen entering the room.

"Gwen, your phone's ringing." He told her. Gwen continued to stare into space. Walking in front of her, he held the phone out to her. "Gwen, it's your mum." Again, he received no recognition. Frowning, he answered her phone. "Hello, Mrs Cooper."

"Owen, how many times have I told you? Call me Mary." She told him.

"Sorry…Mary." He smiled.

"Is Gwen there?" She asked.

"Physically yes, but mentally…she's just staring into space and not answering me." Owen told her.

"Is she ok?" Mary asked, concerned.

"I don't know. She's been acting strange over the last couple of days. I'm worried about her." He confessed.

Gwen finally snapped out of it and looked up at Owen. She looked shocked as she realised he was there.

"How long have you been there?" She frowned.

"About five minutes. Your mum's on the phone." He said.

He passed her the phone and left the room.

"Hey mum." She said.

"Gwen, is everything ok? Owen's very worried about you." Mary told her.

"I'm fine. I'm just…tired. You know, getting up every couple of hours during the night, it's starting to get to me a bit." She said, not completely lying.

"Oh bless. Listen, I was wondering, will it be ok if your father and I took Luke for the weekend? Give you a bit of a break and spend some time with our grandson." She asked.

"Yeah, of course it is." Gwen answered.

"We'll pick him up at eleven if that's ok." Mary said.

"Yeah, that's fine. I'll make sure he's ready." Gwen replied.

"Ok, we'll see you later." Her mother said.

"See you later." She answered.

When she put the phone down, it hit her. Is this where Luke was in the vision? No, it couldn't be. The vision wasn't going to come true, she'd make sure of that. No, Luke was just going to spend a lovely weekend with his grandparents and then come back to them safe and sound.

She left the room and walked into the kitchen.

"Everything ok?" Owen asked.

"Yeah, my mum and dad are taking Luke for the weekend." She told him.

"Ok, cool. So…the whole weekend to ourselves. What are we going to do?" He smirked, placing his hands on her hips.

"We'll think of something." She grinned.

He pulled her face up to his and crushed his lips onto hers. She responded eagerly, needing the distraction.

"That's the first time I've seen you smile in days." He told her.

"Is that a bad thing?" She asked.

"No, it's great. I wish you'd tell me…I'll try and persuade Jack to give us the weekend off. He owes us anyway for messing up our honeymoon." Owen said, quickly changing the subject halfway through his sentence.

She knew what he was going to say. She knew he wanted her to tell him what was wrong. Maybe she should.

"Owen, I…" But she couldn't do it. "I think that would be perfect." She smiled.

"Actually, it's Friday, so technically the weekend starts today. I'll call Jack and tell him we're not coming in until Monday. If he doesn't like it, then that's just tough." He smiled.

"He's going to love that." She said sarcastically.

"Yeah, well he's going to have to." Owen shrugged, kissing her again. "Go on, you'd better get Luke ready."

On cue, Luke began to cry. Gwen quickly left the room and went upstairs to fetch Luke. If they spent the weekend together then the vision couldn't happen. The thought relaxed her a little.

Owen called Jack and told him they weren't coming into work. He wasn't happy about it but he agreed after Owen mentioned the honeymoon.

Gwen's parents picked Luke up, leaving them alone together.

"What do you want to do first?" She asked.

"First, I'm going to go to the shop and get some food and wine for tonight. So you sit down and relax. I'll be right back." He told her.

"I'll come with you." Gwen said quickly.

"No it's ok. I'm sure I can manage a bit of shopping on my own." He laughed.

"Well…ok just…be quick." She nodded.

"I will. See you in a bit." He said.

Kissing her on the top of her head, he quickly left the house. Gwen listened to his car driving off.

The house seemed huge and silent. She searched for her handbag and made sure her gun was still inside, just in case. The silence was making her nervous so she turned the radio on and turned it up. She decided to keep herself busy while she waited for him to return. The dishes needed washing and the kitchen needed cleaning so she made a start.

It started to work and she found herself humming along to the songs on the radio. Her phone vibrated on the work top. Drying her hands on a towel, she picked it up.

"Hello." She answered.

"Red or white wine?" Owen's voice asked.

"Um…what are we having for dinner?" She replied.

"I don't know yet." He answered.

"Well, pick something to eat and then -"

A loud bang made her jump. She slowly made her way to the door and stopped. Looking around, she located her handbag on the kitchen table. Grabbing her gun from it, she walked quietly from the kitchen.

The front door had been kicked in but there was no sign of an intruder. The house fell silent as the radio was turned off. Her eyes widened as she edged towards the living room.

"Gwen, is everything ok?" Owen asked.

When she entered the living room, she couldn't see anyone.

As she stepped further into the room, she was unaware of the figure creeping up behind her. They grabbed her from behind and clamped their hand over her mouth. She screamed and tried to break away. The attacker gripped her tighter. She bit down hard on his hand and they pulled away. She spun around and pointed her gun at him.

"I know how to use this." She shouted.

"What's going on?" Owen's voice demanded.

The stranger laughed darkly and walked towards her.

"I'm warning you. I will shoot you." She bellowed.

"Oh he trained his little team well." He laughed. His smile disappeared quickly as he hit the gun out of her hand. "But not well enough."

"Who the hell are you?" She gasped.

"All in good time." He replied.

She slowly backed away from him as he advanced. Her back pressed up against the wall, she was trapped. Grabbing her by the hair, he pulled her towards him. She kicked at him but his grip remained tight. Laughing cruelly, he crushed his lips onto hers and kissed her fiercely. She couldn't pull away. He bit down on her lip and forced his tongue into her mouth. When he pulled away, she punched him hard on his nose. He stumbled backwards, stunned. Blood trickled from his nose and he wiped it away quickly as he glared at her. She was frozen on the spot as he charged towards her again. He slammed her back against the wall, her head thudding against it. She winced in pain.

"Please, don't hurt me." She begged.

"Gwen, who's there? What's going on?" Owen shouted from the phone.

Her attacker pulled a gun from his belt and pointed it at her.

"Say anything and I'll kill you." He warned.

He span her around and clamped a cloth over her mouth and nose.

"Owen!" She screamed through the cloth.

The phone was ripped from her hand and thrown across the room. She heard it smash as it hit a wall.

"I told you to be quiet." He held the cloth tighter. "Lover boy can't help you now." Her attacker hissed in her ear. "No one can."

Red spots appeared in front of her eyes as she tried to breath. She threw her arms and legs out behind her, trying to make contact with him. He stumbled against her weight, knocking things off the side. Tears streamed down her face as her limbs began to feel heavy, leaving her defenceless. As the room swirled around her, she heard him laughing ruthlessly and then everything went black.

The mysterious man dropped her to the floor and scribbled a quick note. Grabbing her arm, he pressed some buttons on a wrist strap similar to Jack's and teleported them both from the house.

Owen heard her muffled scream down the phone and then a commotion. The phone line went dead as he ran out of the supermarket. Jumping in his car, he sped off back towards their home. As he drove, he searched for his gun in the glove box.

He pulled up outside their house and leapt from the car. His heart pounded as he saw the door wide open. Pointing his gun in front of him, he entered the house.

"Gwen?" He called.

His eyes fell on the ornaments smashed on the floor as he entered the living room. Her phone lay in pieces on the floor. He spotted the note on the side and grabbed it.

"_Your girlfriend's feisty, I like that in a woman. Too bad she wasn't strong enough to stop me. I guess we'll work on that. Don't worry I'm not out to kill anyone, well…not yet.  
See if you can work out who I am. Be careful though, there'll be a few red herrings on the way and some clues. It's up to you to figure out which is which. I'll give you three days. The prize, your girlfriend is returned to you. I must say, I'll be pretty reluctant to give her up, she's an amazing woman. How you ended up with her I don't know.  
Tell anyone and Gwen gets it.  
Good luck."_

Blood dotted the paper. He begged it wasn't Gwen's. The thought of someone hurting her made him bubble with rage. Screwing up the note, he noticed a photo lying next to where the note had been placed. It was an old picture of Gwen and Rhys together. Another little note was scribbled on the back.

"_So happy…until you came along."_

Owen roared angrily and ran out to his car. He was seething as he went to the one place he knew would give him what he needed.

Jack looked up as he entered the Hub.

"I thought you weren't coming in today." He frowned. Owen stormed past him to the computer. "Everything ok?"

When Jack walked up to him, he saw Rhys' name in the search bar. His address popped up and Owen quickly wrote it down.

"He's got Gwen. I'm going to find her and if he's hurt her, I'll kill him." Owen hissed.

"What do you mean he's got Gwen?" Jack demanded.

"He broke into our house and took her while I was out." Owen growled.

As Owen went to run out of the Hub, Jack remembered Gwen's vision and grabbed his arm.

"No. Ianto and Tosh can go and check it out. You're staying here with me." Jack told him.

"He's got my wife. I'm going out there and I'll find her. When I do, I'll give him everything he deserves, a painful death." Owen shouted.

"No, I'm not having one of my team commit murder. Tosh and Ianto will go out and take a look. If he's got her, he'll go to jail and I promise you, he won't be coming out." Jack replied.

"He's got her Jack, I know he has and he deserves more than that." Owen spat.

"How do you know it's Rhys?" Jack asked.

Owen pulled the photo and the note out of his pocket and showed them to Jack.

"It's him." Owen said.

"Tosh! Ianto!" Jack called.

They came out of the meeting room and peered down at Jack.

"What is it?" Ianto asked.

"We think Rhys has kidnapped Gwen. I need you to go to his place and check it out." Jack told them.

Tosh and Ianto looked at each other in shock before running down the steps. Ianto grabbed the address from Owen as Tosh grabbed the SUV keys. Owen watched them leave and turned to Jack.

"I know it's him Jack, it has to be. What am I supposed to do? I'm not sitting here doing nothing when she could be out there hurt…or worse." He shouted.

"She'll be fine. Tosh and Ianto will bring her back safe and sound." Jack reassured him.

Jack sat in his office as Owen paced the Hub.

"Jack." Ianto's voice said over his earpiece.

"Ianto? Have you found her?" Jack asked.

"No. Rhys' flat is empty. Literally, there's nothing here. There's no trace of him or Gwen being here in the last twenty-four hours." Ianto explained.

"She could be anywhere." Owen shouted.

"Maybe Tosh could track Gwen's mobile. If she has it with her, we'll be able to find out where she is." Jack suggested.

"No she couldn't. Her phone's on the floor in pieces. He took care of that." Owen told him.

"And trying Rhys' phone won't work. Tosh has just found it here." Ianto informed them as he overheard the conversation on his earpiece.

Owen kicked Jack's desk in frustration. The little spark of hope was beginning to fade.

"Ok, this is the first time I'm ever going to say this but…I think we need to get the police involved. Start a search for Gwen and Rhys, leave no stone unturned. Do you hear me?" Jack ordered. "Owen, now we go and find her."

Owen nodded and put his earpiece on as they made their way out of the Hub.

"Ianto, any more notes or photos?" Owen asked.

"Nothing so far." Ianto answered.

"Keep looking." Owen told them.

They climbed into Jack's car and drove out of the car park.

"Where do we start first?" Jack asked.

"Try her old flat, he could have taken her there." Owen suggested.

After finding a new couple living in the flat, Owen was starting to get desperate. They searched everywhere they could think of and found nothing. The police contacted them every couple of hours with the same result. Jack ordered the search to spread out across South Wales.

"He can't have got any further than that yet." Jack told them.

The team and a hand full of police officers had met up outside Owen and Gwen's home. A forensics team had gone inside to see if they could find any more evidence. Owen prayed they wouldn't find anything to say Gwen had been seriously hurt.

"Jack, I've got three days to find her and the first one's almost up. He could be doing anything to her and I'm just…sitting here with no idea where she could be. She might not even be in Cardiff." Owen said.

Jack held him as he cried into his shoulder. A policeman approached them.

"Owen, wait in the car." Jack said softly.

Owen pulled himself out of Jack's grasp and made his way to the car. He climbed in the passenger seat and stared out the window. He felt numb, the only feeling he felt was the pain in his chest. It was like someone had ripped his heart out. His world was crashing down around him. The only consolation was that Luke was safe. Luke…hang on. Rhys knew about Luke. If he was out to take revenge on Owen for taking Gwen from him, he would have taken Luke too. There was no mention of him in the note. Was he still safe with his grandparents? Owen grabbed his phone from his pocket and dialled the Cooper's number. Mary answered after the second ring.

"Hello Owen." She greeted him.

"Hey Mary, I was just wondering how Luke was." He told her.

"Oh he's fine. Geraint's putting him to bed now." Mary answered.

"Ok, good. Listen, I've got to go, I'll see you Sunday." Owen replied and put the phone down.

Whoever it was that had taken Gwen obviously didn't know about Luke. It couldn't be Rhys, which meant he'd just wasted a day searching for the wrong person. He hit the dashboard angrily. How could he have been so stupid? This had been one of the red herrings the note was talking about.

Looking back at Jack, he saw that he was still talking to the policeman. Owen spotted the keys still in the car and climbed into the driver's seat.

The team looked up in shock as he drove past. Jack heard Gwen's voice in his head telling him about the vision and started to run after him.

"Owen! Owen, stop." Jack shouted.

"Is everything ok?" The policeman asked.

"Fine. Tosh, Ianto get in the SUV, now. We need to go after him." Jack commanded.

They jumped in and sped after Owen. He wasn't going to let the vision come true, not after he'd promised Gwen.


	14. Chapter 14

******A/N:** A shorter chapter than the rest but I didn't want this one to go on for too long and I wanted the cliff hanger ending.

Gwen's eyes fluttered open. She felt a sharp pain on the back of her head. The left side of her face stung where she must have landed when he brought her here, wherever she was. She could taste and smell blood. Clutching her head, she sat up and looked around at her surroundings.

It was pitch black and she couldn't see a thing. Feeling around, she felt a cold, hard stone floor underneath her.

As she continued to feel blindly around, her hand landed on something soft. A leg...a human leg. She screamed and jumped back. A shuffling sound filled the room. From the way it echoed, she knew the room wasn't too small but it wasn't very big either. As the shuffling grew closer, she backed up into a cold wall. She braced herself for an attack of some kind. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she raised her arms to cover her face.

"Gwen? Are you awake?" A voice whispered.

She slowly lowered her arms and squinted into the darkness.

"Rhys? Rhys is that you?" She asked.

"Yeah, it's me. Are you ok? He threw you onto the floor quite hard." Rhys said.

"I'm fine…I think. My head hurts a bit. How about you? What are you doing here?" She whispered.

"I'm alright. He said he only needed me so his plan would work. I don't know what he's doing." Rhys told her.

"Who is he? Where are we?" She demanded.

"He wouldn't tell me." He answered.

Gwen felt around in the direction his voice was coming from. She needed to make sure she wasn't hallucinating, an effect from hitting her head on the floor.

"Where are you?" She asked.

She heard him shuffle closer and felt his shirt brush her fingertips. She crawled over to him and clung to his side. Fresh tears fell down her cheeks and her sobs filled the room. Rhys wrapped his arms around her clumsily. The vision was coming true. She'd never see Owen, or maybe even Luke, again. Had it happened yet or was it about to happen? She had no idea how long she'd been gone.

"It's ok. We'll find a way out. I bet your Owen's tearing up the town looking for you." He reassured her.

"Yeah…" She mumbled.

"So…you had a baby. What was his name? Luke?" Rhys asked.

"Yeah, Luke." She nodded.

"Tell me about him." Rhys urged.

"He's beautiful. He's got these big brown eyes, just like his dads, and he looks around, taking everything in. You can tell him anything. He's a great listener, never talks back or interrupts you." She laughed.

"No, you've got a few more years to go before he starts all that." Rhys joked. "Where is he?"

"My mum and dad took him for the weekend." She replied.

"When…when we were together…did you…you know, want kids? I mean could you see us with kids in the future?" He asked.

"I did. You would've been a great dad and I'm sure you will be someday. When you meet the right girl." She smiled.

"I've already met her." He mumbled.

Gwen shifted uncomfortably and cleared her throat.

Suddenly, the sound of a heavy bolt being moved echoed around the room. The door opened and filled the room with light. They shielded their eyes and squinted towards the doorway. There was someone standing in the light.

When they looked at each other, they saw the extent of each other's injuries and gasped. Rhys' nose looked broken and he sported a black eye. Every time he moved, he winced. He'd obviously put up a good fight. The left side of Gwen's face was grazed and her lip was bust, the source of the bloody taste. The figure watched them, entertained.

"I see you're awake." He smirked.

Gwen tore her eyes away from Rhys and looked towards the source of the voice.

"Who are you and where the hell are we?" Gwen demanded.

"Oh, you don't know. How can you not recognise your own base?" He laughed.

"Torchwood? We're in the Hub?" She frowned.

"Well, in the basement, I don't think even the butler boy knows about this part. You see, it's so obvious that they haven't even bothered looking here. If I'm lucky, they never will and in two more days, you'll be mine." He grinned.

"Who are you?" Gwen repeated.

"My name's Gray. I'm…what is it you call him here? Oh yes…Captain Jack. I'm his little brother." He told her.

"Why are you doing this? What do you want?" She asked.

"It's time I told you now that everything's slotting into place." He laughed. He entered the room and sat on the floor opposite them. "Oh…don't try anything or I'll shoot you dead." He pulled a gun out and showed them. "So…when we were kids, Jack and I lived in the fifty-first century in Boeshane Peninsula. We were always under the threat of invasion from the worst possible creatures you could imagine. One day, they invaded. My father told Jack to look after me but as we were running away, he let go of my hand. I thought he'd come back for me…but he never did. I never saw him again after that…I guess he just gave up on me. They took me and…chained me to hundreds of corpses. I begged for them to just kill me. Then someone came, took me away. I thought he was some kind of God, he saved my life. So now…I'm giving my brother everything he deserves. I was just going to take his team out one by one and then…his precious city. I still am but…I might as well make it interesting and claim a little prize for myself." He told them.

"What do you mean 'prize'?" Rhys asked.

Gray laughed and cupped Gwen's face in his hand. It stung where he touched her but she didn't want him to know. She pulled a face of disgust and turned her head away from him.

"Don't touch me." She spat.

He laughed and put his hand on her arm.

"Leave her alone." Rhys growled, pulling Gwen away from him.

"Or what? What are you going to do to me?" Gray laughed but took his hand away. "You know, I don't know why I'm keeping you alive."

"Let Rhys go. He's got nothing to do with this. Take me but not him, let him go." Gwen begged.

"I'm not leaving you alone with him." Rhys told her.

"And I'm not letting him go. With him here, your little friends have no idea what's going on. I set them up. I kidnapped him and framed him for kidnapping you. Right now, they're out there looking for him. The longer it takes for them to realise the truth, the less time they'll have to actually find you. I gave them three days. I might get lucky, they might split up and it'll be easier to pick them off." He smirked.

"Leave them alone." Gwen growled.

Gray looked down at his wrist strap as it beeped.

"Oh look, someone's come back home." He pressed a button and Owen's image floated in mid-air. Gwen gasped as she saw him. "It's lover boy." Gray laughed.

"Don't touch him. Don't you dare." Gwen shouted. He grinned and walked out of the cell. As he began to close the door, she jumped up and ran towards it. The door slammed shut as she reached it, plunging them back into darkness. She pounded her fists on the door. "Leave him alone. Don't hurt him."

She slumped to the floor and began to sob uncontrollably. Rhys felt his way over to her and pulled her tight against his chest.

"He'll be fine, you'll see." Rhys whispered.

Gwen wiped her tears away and stood up, determined.

"Yes, he will and we're getting out of here. Ok, if we're in the basement of the Hub…Rhys, I need your help." She said.

Back in the main area of the Hub, the rolling door opened as Owen ran in. He ran towards the computers. Something inside him told him to do a trace for alien technology around the time Gwen was taken. There was the possibility that aliens had nothing to do with it, but for some reason, he knew they were involved.

Suddenly, a figure appeared in a blue light, pointing a gun at him.

"What have you done with Gwen?" Owen demanded.

"Nothing…yet." Gray smirked.

"Where is she?" He shouted.

Gray circled around Owen and laughed.

"That's cheating. So…you figured out it wasn't Rhys that took her. You're cleverer than I thought but you'll never find her. I'm just too good." Gray smiled.

"Who are you?" Owen demanded.

"I guess, since I'm going to kill you, I can tell you." Gray shrugged. "You see, there are a lot of things Jack hasn't told you. For instance, he never told you he had a little brother. A little brother he left to die. Me."

"Gray?" A voice gasped behind them.

Gray spun around and came face to face with Jack. Tosh and Ianto stood either side of him.

"Hello brother." Gray hissed. "We can reminisce later. Right now, I'm going to enjoy tearing your world apart, piece by piece."

"What have you done with Gwen? Where is she?" Jack demanded.

"She's in the one place you never thought to look. The one place you thought was too…secure for someone to just walk in unnoticed." Gray hinted.

"She's here?" Tosh frowned. "But…how did you get in?"

"I teleported." Gray said as if it was obvious. He held up his left arm showed them his wrist strap. "Look familiar Jack? It should, I stole it from a friend of yours, a Captain John Hart."

Jack looked at him in shock.

"But that's impossible. If someone teleported into the Hub, it would have triggered the alarms." Tosh told him.

"Primitive technology, easily disarmed." Gray shrugged.

"You put her in a cell?" Owen growled.

"Of course not. It would have been too easy for you to find her. You know, there are many rooms you still haven't discovered. They're very useful for people like me."

"I doubt that. I know everything about this place." Ianto told him.

"Not the cells in the basement." Jack said, turning to him.

"What cells in the basement?" Ianto frowned.

"We used them in the old days. For the aliens that were too dangerous to keep in the other cells. But I stopped them being used because they…" Jack's voice trailed off as he looked up at Owen.

"Because they what?" Owen demanded.

"Because they're so secure, they have limited air. There's enough for almost a weeks worth but with two of them in there…they have just over three days." Gray smirked.

"Two? Who else…Rhys. You framed Rhys for taking Gwen." Owen said.

"I had to do something to throw you off the track." Gray shrugged. "Anyway, enough talking and back to business. I'll finish off here and claim my prize."

"Don't talk about her as if she's an object and you're not going to lay another finger on her." Owen growled.

"That's what you think." Gray answered.

He whipped back round to Owen and pointed his gun at him. Tosh and Ianto aimed their guns at Gray.

"Put the gun down." Ianto growled.

Gray laughed and put his finger on the trigger.

A gunshot echoed around the Hub.


	15. Chapter 15

It echoed down to the cell Gwen and Rhys were being held captive in. Gwen froze and her eyes widened.

"No." She gasped. "No…he can't have…no. Oh my God, Owen."

She felt as though the floor had been pulled from underneath her. If she could see, she was sure the room would be spinning. If Rhys hadn't happened to have reached over for her, she would have fallen straight onto the hard floor.

"Gwen, it's ok. I'm sure he's fine. Come on, we've got to keep on trying to get out." He told her.

"What for?" She sobbed.

"You've still got a son to look after. Do it for him." Rhys reminded her.

"Luke…yeah, I've still got Luke. He's still out there…he still needs me and I need him." She whispered.

"Exactly, don't give up yet." He said.

In the main area of the Hub, Gray stumbled and fell to the floor in pain. Ianto had shot him through the shoulder. Owen looked down stunned. He thought it had been Gray that had fired the shot. Jack ran over to his brother and knelt down beside him.

"Get off me." Gray growled as Jack held onto his arm.

"I'm sorry, I looked for you for years. I really did. Take me, do whatever you want to me but don't hurt my friends. You don't need to do this." Jack told him.

"You have no idea what I've been through. I'll never forgive you for what you did to me." Gray shouted.

Owen turned back to the computer and pulled up the plans of the base. Two heat signals were showing deep down in the basement. He ran down in the direction the plans showed. Ianto followed him in case he needed help. If both Rhys and Gwen were injured, he'd need more than one pair of hands.

As Owen reached the corridor containing the basement cells, his heart was pounding.

"Gwen." He shouted. "Gwen."

Inside the cell, Gwen and Rhys were trying everything they could to break down the door. The faint sound of someone shouting her name reached her ears. She held Rhys back as he went to kick the door.

"Sh...did you hear that?" She whispered.

"Hear what?" Rhys asked.

"Gwen, it's me. Where are you?" A voice called.

"Owen." She breathed, a smile spreading across her face. "Owen, we're in here."

Owen froze as he heard her calling back. Ianto joined him and Owen motioned for him to be quiet.

"Gwen?" He shouted.

"I'm here. Owen, we're here." She called back.

Gwen pounded her fists on the cell door.

Ianto and Owen turned quickly in the direction of the banging.

"They're in here." Ianto shouted, running over to one of the doors.

Owen pulled the bolt back and tried to pull the door open. It wouldn't budge. He looked down and saw a number of locks, some with keys and some with combinations.

"Shit. We need the codes." Owen roared.

Ianto tapped his earpiece.

"Jack, we need the codes for the cell door." Ianto told him.

"It's…I can't remember…they haven't been used in years." Jack said helplessly.

"What about him? What about Gray? Does he know them?" Owen demanded.

"Like I'm going to tell you." They heard Gray laugh.

Owen kicked the door angrily.

"Gwen, I'll be right back sweetheart. I promise you, I'm coming back." He shouted. "Ianto, stay here. Make sure they're ok in there."

Inside the cell, Gwen wrapped her arms tight around Rhys' neck.

"He's ok. He's ok." She smiled, tears of happiness streaming down her face.

Owen ran back up to the other three and grabbed his gun. Gray still lay on the floor, clutching his shoulder. Striding over, Owen stood over him and pointed his gun down at him.

"Tell me the codes and give me the keys." Owen ordered.

"No way." Gray snarled.

Owen aimed the gun at Gray's leg and fired. Gray screamed in pain. Jack held his hand out as Owen aimed the gun again.

"Owen, stop." Jack shouted.

"Tell me." Owen demanded.

"Alright." Gray shouted.

He gave Owen the codes as he squirmed on the floor in pain.

"And the keys." Owen commanded.

Gray threw the keys to Owen and cursed loudly.

As Owen ran back to the basement, Gray teleported out of the Hub.

"Gray." Jack yelled.

It was too late, Gray had disappeared.

When Owen reached the cell, he quickly entered the codes and unlocked the door. He yanked it open. Gwen jumped into his arms and clung onto him. He held her tight, burying his face in her hair, breathing in her scent. She crushed her lips onto his and kissed him passionately. When they pulled away, Owen saw her injuries.

"Oh my God. What's he done to you?" He whispered.

"It's ok, I'm fine. Especially now I know you're ok. Who fired the gun?" She asked.

"Ianto, he shot Gray in the shoulder. Saved my life really." Owen said and turned to Ianto. "Thanks mate."

Ianto nodded and smiled. She turned and hugged Ianto. He blushed a deep shade of red as she pecked him on the cheek.

"Thank you Ianto." She smiled.

"It was nothing." He mumbled, embarrassed.

"How long have we been down here?" She asked.

"Just under twenty-four hours." Ianto told her.

Rhys joined them as he limped out of the cell. Leaning against the wall, he closed his eyes and took deep breaths. Owen's doctor side began to kick in.

"Come on, I need to get you both upstairs and get these wounds sorted out." He said. "Ianto, you take Gwen up, I'll help Rhys."

"I'm fine, I can walk by myself." Gwen protested as Ianto slipped his arm around her waist.

She took a few steps and stumbled, clutching her head.

"Yeah, it really looks like it." Ianto said sarcastically.

"I just felt a bit dizzy, that's all." She scowled.

Ianto rolled his eyes and grabbed her around the waist. As he watched them go on ahead, Owen pulled Rhys' arm over his shoulder for support.

They made their way, slowly back up to the Hub. Jack and Tosh looked up, shocked as their eyes fell on Gwen and Rhys.

"What happened?" Jack asked.

"Your brother, he did this to them." Owen said his voice getting louder. "Where is he?"

"He's gone." Jack sighed.

"Well, if he ever shows his face again, I'll kill him." Owen told him.

Jack turned his gaze to the floor. He felt guilty for everything that had happened. It was his fault that Gray had turned out like he had and it was his fault for the outcome.

Gwen insisted that Rhys was seen to first as he had the worst injuries. She held his hand as Owen worked on him.

"What is this place?" Rhys asked through the pain.

"This is where I work. It's best you don't know too much about it." Gwen told him.

What was the point? Jack would only retcon him as soon as Owen had finished with him.

"Right, you've got a few cracked ribs, a sprained ankle and a broken nose." Owen informed him. "There's not much I can do for the nose and ribs apart from giving you some painkillers. However, I can bandage your ankle. You'll need to rest and give it time to heel."

Rhys nodded and accepted the painkillers gratefully.

After he'd finished with Rhys, Ianto helped him out into the main area of the Hub.

Owen helped Gwen onto the table.

"My head's pounding." She moaned.

"You've got concussion. We need ice and something to put it in." He told her.

"I'll get it." Ianto said from the balcony.

Owen nodded and turned back to Gwen. He poured some anti-sceptic onto a cloth and started to dab the graze on her face. She hissed and grabbed his free hand tightly.

"Sorry, I forgot to tell you it might sting a bit." He laughed.

They gazed into each other's eyes as he continued to dab her face.

"I love you." She whispered.

"I love you too. You have no idea how worried I was when I was out there looking for you." He answered.

When he finished, he kissed her gently on the lips.

"Ouch." She groaned.

He pulled away and ran his thumb along her bust lip.

"I'm going to have to put a stitch in that. Just to close it up so it'll heal." Owen told her.

Ianto arrived with the ice wrapped in a cloth. Owen held it to her head.

"That feels good." She smiled.

"Just hold that there while I get this lip of yours sorted out." He said.

She took over from him as he put a single stitch in her lip.

As he wiped the dried blood from her face, she remembered the time she was shot out in the Brecon Beacons.

"I think I'm having a déjà vu moment." She laughed.

"Really? How many times have you been kidnapped and injured?" Owen joked.

"No, I was thinking about the time you cleaned me up after we got back from the Brecon Beacons." She smiled.

"Ah yes. Thankfully, there's a lot less blood this time." He grinned.

"You don't remember do you?" She giggled.

"Remember what?" He frowned.

"That night, it was just us in the Hub. Ianto and Tosh had gone home and Jack was…wherever Jack goes at the end of the day. You helped me down to the Hub showers so I could wash off all the blood. You brought me down some clean clothes and waited outside in case I needed you."

"Actually, I was trying to sneak a peek." He admitted. Gwen laughed and shook her head. "Well, after what happened in the woods I got…curious. I didn't look though, I didn't want to take advantage."

"Anyway…after that, you brought me back up here and put a new bandage on. You kept apologising every time you thought you'd hurt me but you were so gentle. We sat in silence just…looking at each other and then you brushed a hair out of my face. I thought you were going to kiss me but…you didn't. I wanted you to." She confessed.

"I wanted to but…well…I didn't think you wanted me to." He mumbled. "I didn't think you felt…anything until you came to my flat that night."

"Owen, didn't you feel all that…tension between us out there?" She asked.

"Yeah, but still…anyway, I did kiss you." He said.

"A little peck on the nose." She laughed.

"What was the point of the conversation anyway?" He asked.

"I was just remembering that it was then that I realised just how much I loved you and how it hasn't changed…well it has. It's grown stronger." She told him, looking deep into his eyes.

Jumping down off the table, she pulled him into a hug. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair. Running his fingers through her hair, he kissed the top of her head. She went to kiss him on the lips but he pulled away.

"I'm sorry but there'll be none of that for a few days, not until the stitch comes out. You don't want to risk the wound being opened up again." He told her.

"What? But it's fine, see." She argued.

Before he could argue back, she crushed her lips onto his. When she pulled away, he was too stunned to speak. After a few moments he nodded.

"Yeah…yeah it's fine…nothing wrong there." He whispered.

She turned her back on him and closed her eyes in pain. When she turned back to him, she smiled.

"Can we go home now?" She asked.

"Yeah, I think we can go now." He answered. "How's the head?"

"It's ok. I just need a big cup of tea." She answered.

"Yeah, come on." Owen smiled.

He wrapped his arm around her waist and led her out of the autopsy bay. Gwen looked around the Hub, confused.

"Where's Rhys?" She frowned.

"Jack took him home. Myfanwy got out of her cave and…it got a bit too much for him." Ianto explained.

"What's he going to think happened to him when he wakes up? He'll wake up with a bandaged foot and not know how it happened." Gwen argued.

"Jack will think of something, he always does." Ianto reassured her.

She sighed and let Owen pull her from the Hub.

When they returned home, Gwen stood staring at the ornaments broken on the floor. She started to shake uncontrollably and fresh tears rolled down her face. Owen pulled her into a tight hug and she buried her face in his chest.

"It's ok, you're safe now. I promise I'll keep you safe." Owen promised her.

"It's not that. It's…" She whispered.

"What is it?" He asked.

"The other day…in the Hub…when I stayed behind with Luke, I heard this beeping. It was coming from the safe in Jack's office and it was doing my head in so…I found the combination and…I found…I found the ghost machine. It was going off and something made me press the button. I saw…I saw you on the floor, covered in blood. Jack was there and you kept asking him to find me and then…you…it was horrible. I couldn't get that image of you out of my head. When Gray took me…I thought it was all coming true. I thought I was going to lose you." She sobbed.

"Gwen, why didn't you tell me?" He asked.

"I don't know." She whispered.

"Is that why you've been acting so odd?" He said.

She nodded and hugged him tighter. Running his hand up and down her spine, he kissed the top of her head.

"I love you." She told him.

"I love you too. God, I really love you." He laughed.

She pulled away and grinned.

"We've still got a whole day and a bit before my parents bring Luke home. Show me how much you love me." She smiled.

Owen watched her as she walked out of the room and up the stairs. He smirked and followed her, pulling off his shirt.

"A whole day and bit…" Owen grinned.

Sunday evening, Gwen and Owen sat on the sofa, just holding each other. Owen had taken the stitch out of her lip and it was now healing very well, though it was still a little swollen. The graze on her face had almost vanished, leaving small pink patches here and there.

Someone knocked on the door and Gwen untangled herself from Owen and got up to answer it.

Her parents stood in the doorway, Luke in her mother's arms.

"Hello duckling. We had a wonderful…what's happened to you?" Her father demanded.

Gwen's eyes widened and she lifted her hand up to her face.

"Oh…I fell over at work." She lied.

Her parents didn't look convinced. Geraint's face slowly turned purple and he pushed his way past Gwen.

"Did he do this to you? Where is he?" He shouted.

"Dad, Owen didn't do this. He'd never hurt me. I fell over at work, honestly." Gwen insisted.

"You don't have to lie to us Gwen. I want to see him, now." Her father demanded.

Owen, on hearing the commotion, came out of the living room and joined them. Gwen stepped between them as her father started to walk towards him.

"Dad honestly, this wasn't Owen's fault." She said.

He ignored her and pushed her to the side.

"What have you done to my little girl?" He shouted.

"Mr Cooper, I swear to you I haven't done anything. I love Gwen and I'd never hurt her." Owen told him.

"Geraint, calm down. I know Owen, he would never raise a hand to Gwen." Mary argued.

"Thank you." Gwen said.

Geraint glared at Owen before backing down and turning back to Mary. Gwen sighed and stood next to Owen, entwining her fingers with his.

"I think we'd better go. We've had a wonderful weekend with our grandson." Mary told her.

She placed Luke in Owen's arms and pulled Geraint to the door.

"I'll see you soon. I love you." Gwen told them as she hugged each of them in turn.

She closed the door and shook her head.

"Your dad still hates me." Owen told her.

"He doesn't hate you he just…gets a bit overprotective." Gwen sighed.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Owen laughed.

She walked over to him and Luke. Kissing Luke's forehead, she smiled and ran her finger down his cheek.

"I enjoyed having the weekend to ourselves…" She grinned up at Owen. "But I'm glad he's home. Bless him, my little angel."


	16. Chapter 16

******A/N:** Couple of things, first sorry if the name change confused anyone. Also I was planning on killing Gwen off in this chapter but I couldn't do it so I had to write a weird chapter to put it out of my mind. Finally…yeah…sorry about this chapter. I was a bit…yeah, while I was writing this one so I'm really sorry. It contains sexual references. You have been warned! XD

A year later, Gwen sat on the floor holding Luke's hands so he was standing on the floor. He clutched her fingers tightly and looked curiously around him. Owen sat a little away from them.

"Come on, Luke. Come to daddy." Owen smiled.

Luke looked across at him and gave him a cheeky smile. Gwen smiled as he laughed a real belly laugh.

"Listen to him. He's so cute." She giggled.

She felt his grip on her fingers loosen as he took a wobbly step towards his dad. Just as he let go, he fell onto his bum with a bump. He laughed again as Gwen pulled him back up.

"That kid has a weird fascination for hurting himself. Last week, he sat there for ages hitting himself with the remote." He laughed.

"Yeah I know." Gwen sighed.

Luke locked his eyes onto Owen and tried again. He let go of Gwen's fingers and took a couple of steps. He wobbled as he reached the halfway point.

"That's it, you can do it." Owen encouraged.

Taking the last few shaky steps towards Owen, he smiled and fell into Owen's arms.

"He did it. He took his first steps." Gwen gasped.

Owen clutched Luke in his arms and beamed down at him.

"He'll be taking over the world in no time." Owen laughed.

Holding Luke so he faced Gwen, he winked at her.

"Come to mummy." She smiled.

Luke stumbled towards her and stopped.

"He's really concentrating." Owen chuckled.

"No…no, I know that look…Owen get the clean nappies." She told him.

Owen wrinkled his nose and left the room in search of the baby changing things.

As Gwen waited for him to return, she scooped Luke into her arms. Her phone began to ring. Checking the caller ID, she answered it.

"Hey Jack. Guess what? Luke just took his first steps." She told him excitedly.

"That's great Gwen." Jack replied. "Listen, I need you and Owen down at the Hub today. I need you to finish that report you started and I've got an autopsy I need Owen to do."

"Alright Jack, give us an hour." She sighed.

"Great, I'll see you then." Jack replied.

Gwen put the phone down as Owen walked back into the room carrying the changing gear.

"Jack wants us at the Hub." She told him. Owen rolled his eyes and mumbled under his breath. "You'd better not be swearing. Luke's pretty close to saying his first word and I don't want it to be a swear word."

"I'm not bloody swearing." Owen sighed.

Gwen covered Luke's ears with her hands and glared at Owen.

"Shut up and change him while I get the rest of his stuff. He'll have to come down to the Hub with us again." She told him.

He nodded and started to change him. He couldn't help but notice that her mood had changed. Shrugging it off, Owen held his breath and cringed as he finished off. Luke put his fist into his mouth and started crying.

As Gwen walked into the room, Owen tried to soothe him. Nothing he did would calm him down.

"Gwen, is he ok?" Owen asked.

"He's fine, he's just teething again." Gwen said.

Luke's front teeth had come through a few months ago so she recognised the signs.

When they reached the Hub, Gwen sat at her desk finishing her report with Luke in the pushchair beside her. Owen was down in the autopsy bay doing an autopsy on a Nostravite male Jack had found that morning. It was important he find out whether the Nostravite had passed on the egg yet.

When Gwen finished her report, she sat back and sighed. Tosh sat down next to her and began to coo at Luke.

"Jack said you'd told him that Luke took his first steps this morning." Tosh smiled.

"Yeah, he was so cute. He seemed so proud of himself." Gwen laughed.

"Has he spoken yet?" Tosh asked.

"No, not yet. I've been trying to get him to say 'mummy' but nothing yet." She sighed.

"Mu…mu…" Luke babbled.

Gwen sat up and looked down at him.

"That's it. Mummy. Can you say mummy?" She whispered.

"Mu…mu…"

"Owen, quick I think he's going to say mummy." Gwen called.

Owen ran up and stood beside her, smiling.

"Come on Luke." He smiled.

Ianto walked past them and called to Jack in his office.

"Jack, UNIT's on the phone again." He shouted.

"Mu…mu…Jack." Luke babbled.

"He did it, he said – what?" Gwen cried.

"I think he said Jack." Owen frowned.

Gwen turned and glared at Ianto. He smiled apologetically and held up his hands in surrender. Jack came out of his office smiling.

"I said Jack was a great name and the kid knows it." Jack grinned. Owen and Gwen both glared up at him. His smile vanished and he shifted uncomfortably. "Sorry, I could…give him a very weak dose of retcon."

"Don't you dare." Gwen and Owen shouted together.

"Hey, I was only kidding. As if I would." Jack argued.

"Ianto Jones, I'm going to fucking kill you." Gwen growled.

"Gwen, no swearing remember." Owen laughed.

"Shut up before I lamp you one." She huffed.

Owen raised his eyebrows at her. He kissed the top of her head and went back down to the autopsy bay. Gwen folded her arms and sat back in her chair.

Her mood did not improve as the day went on, it got worse. Jack ended up retreating to his office again when he commented on it and she threw an empty mug at him. It missed him by inches as he ducked out of the way and watched it shatter against a wall. Tosh and Ianto avoided her as much as possible.

She ended up sitting in the meeting room watching Luke crawl around on the floor. It was probably the safest room for him and she thought he might be getting tired of sitting in his pushchair all day.

He pulled himself up and wobbled over to her. He fell a few times on the way but he kept pushing himself back up. Smiling, she picked him up as he held his arms up to her. He sat on her knee and held a hand up to her face. She kissed his palm before he dropped his arm back down.

"Mu…mummy." He gurgled.

"That's it, good boy. You said 'mummy'. You clever boy." She beamed.

Back in the main area of the Hub, Ianto made his way down to Owen.

"What's up with Gwen?" Ianto asked.

"I don't know. She's been a bit moody these past couple of days. I'll talk to her later." Owen sighed. "I'm just glad we've got Luke to distract her. If not, I think I'd be a dead man by now."

"You know…she could be pregnant again. My sister was like this when she had my nephew." Ianto told him.

"No, she's not pregnant." Owen said, shaking his head.

"She could be." Ianto shrugged.

"No we haven't…we haven't done anything…for a while now." Owen mumbled.

"Well there you go then." Ianto said.

"What? You think she…it's possible." He nodded.

"Are you finished here?" Ianto asked.

"Yeah, I'm just cleaning up." He answered. "Why?"

"Well, I'm sure Tosh will gladly look after Luke and…the cells on the lower floor are free." Ianto smirked.

Owen frowned at him, trying to figure out what he was talking about. Ianto smiled at him and watched as the cogs turned in Owen's head. After a few minutes, it clicked. Throwing off his lab coat, Owen ran out of the autopsy bay. Chuckling, Ianto followed him.

"Tosh, can you look after Luke for…an hour or so?" Owen asked.

"Well…I'm a bit busy but yes I think I can watch him." She answered.

"Great, go get him and tell Gwen to meet me in the cells on the lower floor." He told her.

"Ok." She nodded, frowning in confusion. "But if she bites my head off, I'll kill you."

"Thanks Tosh. Ianto, you're a genius." Owen called over his shoulder as he ran down the steps.

When Tosh arrived in the meeting room, Gwen was just as confused as she was.

"What? I don't understand. What does he want?" Gwen asked.

"He just asked me to look after Luke and to tell you to meet him down in the cells." Tosh shrugged.

"He's getting stranger everyday." Gwen sighed.

Tosh giggled and watched as Gwen left the room. As she passed Ianto, he winked at her and smiled.

"You can thank me later." He smiled.

She watched him walk into Jack's office suspiciously.

Down in the cells, she couldn't see Owen as she entered.

"Owen? What is it? Listen, stop playing stupid games, I'm not in the mood." She called. Owen stepped out from one of the cells, smiling at her. He walked past her and closed the door. "Just tell me what you want."

Pushing her up against the wall, he pressed himself up to her.

"You." He answered. "I know we haven't…for quite some time now and Ianto said it might be why you're not in the best of moods. I'm really sorry if it is and it's my fault."

"What? Owen, it's not that, although it would be nice to…no, it's just…I'm tired and worn out. It's hard work looking after a baby and doing all this on top. I feel like I'm doing it on my own, it would be nice if you helped me out a little more." She explained.

"Gwen, I'm sorry. I didn't realise. God, I'm turning out like my parents. I promise I'll help you out more." He told her.

"Thank you." She smiled and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. "And don't worry, you're a great dad."

"Thanks." He laughed.

"Ok so…do you think you could get off me? You're sort of squashing me." She told him.

"Oh no, I'm not done with you yet." He smirked.

Running his hands down her sides, he placed kisses down her neck and across her shoulders. He ran his hand through her hair and placed his other hand at the base of her back.

"You mean…here? But I can't…not in front of the Weevils." She protested.

"I've checked. They're all in the other cells. We're all alone." He whispered in her ear.

She closed her eyes and sighed as he nibbled her lobe. Pulling his face back to hers, she ran her hands through his hair and kissed him passionately. As he pulled her t-shirt over her head, she looked up and saw the CCTV camera.

"Owen…the camera…they can see us." She whispered.

He turned and threw her shirt over it. She bit her lip as he turned back, still not quite sure whether she wanted to do it there. All thoughts went out of her head as his hands burned her skin when he touched her. As he trailed kisses down her stomach, she curled her fingers in his hair. He held onto her hips as he swirled his tongue in her belly button causing her to moan loudly. He kissed his way back up and covered her mouth with his. Moving her hands under his shirt, she ran her fingernails down his chest and ground her hips against him emitting a low growl from him.

"Fuck Gwen." He hissed.

"Yes please." She murmured into his ear.

She clutched the edge of his shirt as he crushed his lips onto hers. It was thrown off, shortly followed by the rest of their clothes. They stood breathing heavily, bodies pressed together and arms wrapped around each other. Gwen clung onto his shoulders as he lifted her legs off the floor and wrapped them around his waist.

"I love you." He whispered.

"Love you too." She breathed.

Almost two hours later, a giggling Gwen was being led out of the cells by Owen and up to the main area of the Hub. With their arms wrapped around each other, they walked over to their computers.

"Good to see you in a better mood." Jack grinned. "Nice hair by the way."

Her hands flew up to her hair and she tried to straighten it out with her fingers.

"Leave it. I think it looks sexy." Owen smirked.

Gwen giggled and hit his arm playfully. Breaking away from him, she walked up to Ianto and hugged him.

"Thank you." She smiled.

"Told you." He winked.

He looked over at Owen, who looked very satisfied with himself. Ianto held his thumbs up and Owen nodded back, signalling 'ok' with his fingers.

"Amazing." Owen mouthed.

Tosh came down from the meeting room, Luke placed on her hip. Running over to them, Gwen grabbed Luke and twirled him around in the air. He smiled and squealed, his arms and legs waving about in the air.

"I forgot to tell you, Luke said 'mummy' earlier." She smiled as she sat Luke on her hip.

"He did?" Owen asked.

"Yeah, listen. Luke, can you say 'mummy'? Come on, show daddy." She said to him.

"Mummy." Luke repeated along with some other gurgling noises.

"That's my son." Owen said proudly.

Tosh clapped her hands together and squealed.

"It's a shame he has no idea what he's saying." Gwen sighed. "Oh well. We'll have to teach him to say 'daddy' as well."

The team watched Luke as he sucked on his fingers and stared around at them. He chuckled and hid his face in Gwen's shoulder.

"He's shy." Tosh smiled.

Gwen kissed his forehead as he peered through her hair, smiling. When he spotted Owen, he sat up and stretched his arms towards him.

"I think he wants his daddy." Gwen said.

Owen walked over as Luke leant towards him and whimpered impatiently. He took him from Gwen's arms and hugged him to his chest. When Owen kissed his head, Luke pointed to Gwen.

"Yes, that's your mummy." Owen nodded. Luke continued to point at Gwen as Owen tried to work out what he meant. When nothing happened, Luke began to cry in frustration. "What? Does he need changing? Is he hungry?"

"No, that's not it. I can usually tell when he needs changing or feeding. I don't know what he wants." Gwen frowned.

Owen gently bounced him up and down in his arms and tried to calm him down. He continued to point at his mum and looked up at Owen. Luke placed his other hand on Owen's mouth.

"I think he wants you to kiss Gwen." Tosh giggled.

Owen shrugged and leant over and kissed Gwen's forehead. When he looked back at Luke, he was smiling.

"You are one strange child." Owen laughed. Luke pointed over to Toshiko. "Toshiko too?" Gwen giggled as Owen clumsily kissed Tosh's forehead. Ianto's eyes widened as Luke pointed towards him. Luke had a huge smile on his face as Owen looked down at him. "No way."

"Aaw come on, he doesn't want anybody to be left out." Gwen smirked.

"Sorry Luke, I'm not going that far." Owen told him.

"It's just a bit of fun. Come on Owen. Just do it." Gwen urged.

"He didn't make you do this. Why is he doing it to me?" Owen whined.

Gwen shrugged and smiled. He turned to Ianto and sighed. Ianto cringed as Owen quickly kissed him. It was Jack's turn next. Jack grinned as Owen screwed his eyes shut and pecked his forehead. When he stood back next to Gwen, her and Toshiko were crying with laughter.

"See, wasn't so hard was it?" Gwen said, trying to keep a straight face as Owen glared at her.

"The things I bloody do for you." Owen mumbled to Luke before receiving a smack on the back of the head from Gwen. "Ouch. Sorry it just…slipped out."

"Don't let me hear it again." Gwen scolded.

"I won't say it again. I promise, no swearing around Luke." He told her.

"Good." She smiled.

Owen leant in to capture Gwen's lips with his when he looked down at Luke. He covered his eyes with his hand and kissed her gently.

"I'm not doing that to everyone." He said.

She giggled at the thought and had to turn away as tears streamed down her face. Tosh covered her hand with her mouth and laughed with her.

"Sorry…she started me off…I couldn't help it…" Tosh said between giggles.

Gwen turned back to Owen and giggled as she looked at him.

"Sorry…it's just…really funny." She laughed.

Owen looked down at Luke and sighed.

"They're picking on me." He told him.

"Mummy." Luke gurgled.

Gwen sobered up and smiled at Luke.

"He said it again. Did you hear that? He said it again." Gwen said excitedly.

She held his tiny face in her hands and ran her thumbs over his cheeks. He yawned and his eyes started to close. She smiled as he rested his head on Owen's chest and fell asleep.

"Making me suffer must have really tired him out." Owen joked.

He gently placed Luke back in his pushchair and placed a blanket over him.

"I'm really sorry about throwing that mug at you Jack. I don't know what came over me." Gwen apologised.

He shrugged and smiled.

"Anyway, back to work. Ianto, don't forget to go retcon that old lady. She's still frightened of going out ever since that Weevil appeared from the manhole in her garden a year ago." Jack reminded him and placed a retcon pill on the edge of Gwen's desk.

"Yep, I'll just get my coat." Ianto nodded.

Gwen sat down and clutched her head.

"Jack, have you got anything for headaches?" She asked.

"Yeah, hang on." He replied and disappeared into his office.

"Are you ok?" Owen asked in concern.

"My head's pounding. I didn't get much sleep last night. Luke was crying because of his teething, bless him. I kept rubbing some teething gel on his gums but it didn't seem to work." She sighed.

"Listen, I'll handle him at night from now on. You just get some sleep." Owen told her.

She smiled up at him as Jack came back from his office.

"There you go." He said, handing her a pill and a glass of water.

"Cheers." She sighed. Her phone slid out of her pocket before she took it. "Oh shit."

Placing the glass and tablet on her desk, she picked up her phone and shoved it back in her pocket. She picked the glass and pill back up and took it. Ianto reappeared at the desk and looked around.

"Jack, where did you put the retcon?" He frowned.

"It's there on the desk." Jack answered.

Ianto picked up the small pill and held it up to him.

"No…this is a headache pill." Ianto told him.

Owen, Gwen and Jack glanced at each other in shock. Placing a hand over her mouth, her eyes widened.

"What strength was it?" She gasped.

"Enough to erase a year, maybe a year and a half." Jack answered.

Gwen gasped and looked down at Luke and at the rings on her finger. She grabbed hold of Owen as she felt the retcon take effect. Tears slid down her face as she pulled his face down to hers.

"Don't let me forget. Make me remember." She begged. "I did it before with Suzie, I can do it again. Please don't let me forget."

"I won't. I promise you, you will remember." He told her. She nodded as her eyes felt heavy and closed. A single tear escaped from under her eyelid. Owen picked her up and looked over at Jack. "I'm taking her home. If she sees all the photos and Luke's things she might remember. You could have been a bit more careful where you put that thing."

"I'm sorry, I didn't think." He apologised.

"Yeah well, make yourself useful and bring Luke out to the car." Owen said.

Jack pushed Luke's pushchair out to Owen's car as Owen placed Gwen in the front seat.

When they arrived home, Owen put Gwen on their bed, kissing her gently and held Luke, still asleep, on his knee. He watched them both sleeping and waited until Gwen woke up the next morning. He'd make her remember, whatever it took, she was going to remember everything.


	17. Chapter 17

Gwen woke up, frowning. There was something wrong, something missing but she couldn't put her finger on it. She looked around and spotted Owen sitting up on the bed beside her.

"Morning sweetheart." She smiled.

He leant down and captured her lips in a sweet kiss.

"Good morning Mrs Harper." He whispered.

"I'm not Mrs Harper yet. Not for another couple of weeks anyway." She laughed. When she sat up, she felt groggy. "What happened to me last night?"

Her eyes fell on the baby crawling towards her on the bed. She gasped and looked up at Owen.

"Mummy." Luke babbled.

"He's been waiting for you to wake up." Owen smiled.

"But…where did he come from? Whose is he? Owen, what have you done?" She asked.

"He's ours, he's called Luke. Gwen, last night at the Hub, you took retcon by accident and it erased a year of your memories." Owen told her.

"What are you talking about? We didn't go to the Hub last night, we went out." She frowned.

"No we didn't. I promise you, last night we went to the Hub." He told her.

Quick flashes of them alone in the cells flashed through her mind. She smirked up at Owen.

"We did, I remember now. I still don't understand where Luke fits in with this though." She said.

Luke crawled over to her side and held his arms up. She looked down at him nervously and back up at Owen.

"Hold him." Owen urged.

Picking him up, she placed him in her lap. She could feel a strong bond between her and the baby but she couldn't understand quite what that bond was. Owen smiled as she hugged him tighter to her chest.

"It's like…I know he's my son…I can feel he's my son…but I don't remember anything about him." She explained.

"Do you remember anything about us? You and me?" Owen asked.

"We…we've just moved into a new house because we want to start a family." She answered.

"That was just over a year ago. Come downstairs, I'll show you." He said to her.

She held Luke tight as she made her way downstairs with Owen. How could she forget her own son? She knew it wasn't her fault but it still felt terrible.

Gesturing for her to sit down on the sofa, Owen pulled a photo from the side. It was a picture of them on their wedding day. Gwen took it from him and looked at it, concentrating hard.

"That's us." She said.

"Yes it is. Is anything coming back?" He asked.

"It's…I can…no, I can't see anything." She sighed.

"Hang on." He said and left the room.

Gwen looked down at Luke in her lap. She saw him taking his first steps and saying his first words.

"Help me Luke. Help me remember." She whispered to him.

Owen came back into the room with more photos and a DVD. He handed the photos to her and placed the DVD in the DVD player. She watched it, trying her hardest to pull the memories from her mind.

"Ianto filmed some of it, the more sensible bits. Jack did the rest, as you can tell." Owen sighed as Jack's voice started doing stupid commentaries.

"Here we have the two love birds. Aaw, look at them dancing. Gwen looking absolutely stunning. Owen, you've got a good swing on you there." Jack said.

Owen watched Gwen closely as she looked hard at the screen.

She flicked through the photos. There were pictures of the wedding and days out with Luke. He had literally tried to find as many pictures of the past year as he could.

"Anything?" He asked.

She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate.

"I can see…bits. It's hazy and I know there are bits missing…it's too hard." She sighed. "The two most important days in my life and I can't remember either of them. Who forgets their own wedding and what kind of mother forgets her own child?"

She looked away from him and sighed.

"Gwen, you took retcon by accident. You didn't do any of this willingly and you're an amazing mother to Luke." He told her.

"But I can't remember any of it. If videos and photos can't help me remember, then what will?" She asked, frustrated.

Owen sat next to her and pulled her left hand up. She looked at the two rings on her finger.

"Please try. Remember when we took Luke down to the seaside. We had to cover his pushchair because the wind was blowing the sand everywhere. Please try Gwen." He begged.

"I want to but it's just so hard. That time with Suzie…it was just one specific image and I remembered. Why isn't it happening now?" She asked.

"I don't know. Maybe the more you erase the harder it is to get those memories back." Owen suggested. "It'll all come back. We just have to work on it."

He wrapped his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. Gwen grew quiet as she rested her head on Owen's shoulder and closed her eyes. She rubbed small circles on Luke's back absent-mindedly. Owen smiled, knowing it was slowly but surely coming back to her.

She knew Owen thought it was all flooding back but to be honest, she felt nothing.

She couldn't concentrate on anything for the rest of the day other than trying to get her memories back. She kept asking Owen to tell her about the things they'd done in the last year, wanting all the little details.

That evening, they'd put Luke to bed and were eating their dinner together. Owen had chosen to cook bolognese. There was a reason behind him choosing it but she didn't know what it was. When she'd asked him, he shrugged and turned away but not before she saw a secretive smile spread across his face. Gwen poked her food around her plate as he finished his meal.

"We will find a way." Owen reassured her.

She nodded and looked down at her plate. As she lifted her fork up to her mouth, she stopped and dropped it. It clattered to the plate but she ignored it.

"Owen…we disappeared to a restaurant during the wedding reception…you said I needed something proper to eat because…I hadn't eaten…Owen, I remember. I remember everything." She gasped.

"That's fantastic. How did you do it?" He asked, smiling.

"I don't know. I was just looking down at my plate and it all came back." She shrugged.

Leaning over the table, he held her face in his hand and kissed her passionately. He ran his thumb over her cheek and smiled.

"I knew you could do it." He told her.

"I couldn't have done it without you. We ate bolognese at that restaurant on our wedding day. You did choose this for a reason. Remind me to thank you later." She smiled.

"Oh yes, I won't forget that. I didn't think it would work though. I thought the photos and the DVD would work better to be honest. Well it just shows how much you love your food." He grinned.

"What are you trying to say?" She frowned.

"Nothing. I was saying…you ready for pudding?" He said, quickly changing the subject.

She watched him suspiciously before shaking her head.

"Not yet, give me chance to finish this." She said.

As he watched her eat, she decided to get her own back on him for his comment. Picking up a long strand of spaghetti on her fork, she twirled her tongue around it and sucked it up into her mouth. Feeling Owen's eyes on her, she continued to eat in this way, adding little moans now and then.

She put her fork down on her plate as she finished, licking her lips and sighing in contentment. When she looked up at Owen, his eyes were wide and his mouth was open slightly. She smiled as he stared at her. He seemed to realise what he was doing and shook his head to snap himself out of it.

"So…erm…you ready for – for that pudding n-now?" He asked quickly.

"Yeah, I think so." She nodded. "What is it?"

"T-toffee cheesecake…I think…yeah…" He told her, almost unable to speak.

Watching as he got up from the table quickly and took away their plates, she grinned and laughed quietly to herself.

He brought back a slice of cheesecake for them each and placed hers in front of her.

"Thanks. It looks delicious." She smiled.

He nodded and picked up his fork. Gwen noticed how he was shaking slightly. Picking up her own fork, she scraped up a piece with a load of cream on the top. Her tongue darted out and scooped off some of the cream. Moaning loudly, she lapped up the rest and placed the piece inside her mouth, closing her eyes. When she looked at Owen through her eyelashes, she saw his knuckles were almost white as he gripped the fork tighter.

"Is…is it…good?" He asked.

"Very…good." She smirked. "Aren't you hungry?"

Looking down at his cheesecake, he noticed he hadn't touched it. He swallowed hard and took a deep, shaky breath. Glancing back up, he saw her tongue swirling out over another piece. She was looking back at him innocently.

"I'm a bit full. I'll eat it later." He told her, never taking his eyes off her.

"Oh…well, I can finish mine later if you want. You know, so we eat together." She suggested, pouting slightly as she put her fork down.

"No." He shouted. His eyes widened as she looked up at him in surprise. "I mean…you can finish it now…if you like. I don't mind."

Shrugging, she picked up her fork and carried on eating.

When she finished, his fists were clenched tightly on his knees as he watched her.

"Is there something on my face?" She asked and ran her tongue slowly across both her lips.

"You've…got a little…here."

He wiped the cream away with his finger. As he pulled his hand back, she grabbed his wrist and brought his finger to her lips. She sucked the cream off and smiled, letting go of his hand.

"Thanks." She said to him. "Do you want to watch a film?"

As they sat on the sofa, Gwen sat on the other end as far away from him as she could. During the film, she yawned and stretched causing her top to ride up and expose her stomach. Owen watched out of the corner of his eye, his breath catching. He found it harder to concentrate on the film as she slowly edged towards him. To him she seemed to be totally engrossed in it and unaware of her actions but inside she was grinning. He watched as the characters moved around on the screen but wasn't taking any of it in, he'd even forgotten what it was they were watching.

She watched his eyes glaze over. If she had super hearing, she was sure she would be able to hear his heart pounding.

He gripped the arm of the sofa tightly as she placed her arm on the back of the sofa and began to run her hand through his hair. When she was close enough for him to feel her hot breath on his neck, she slowly ran her hand up and down his thigh. Closing his eyes, he leant his head back on the sofa and let a small moan escape his lips.

Suddenly, the contact was gone and he opened his eyes. He looked around frowning.

"What..?" He began to say.

"The film's finished." She told him.

He turned and glared at the credits rolling across the screen.

"Bloody film." He thought.

"I'm going to bed now." She sighed, yawning.

She got up and stood directly in front of him. Stretching once more, it revealed even more of her perfect stomach. He gulped and tried to tear his eyes away from her. Just as he was about to reach out and grab her, she moved out of the way. He cursed under his breath.

"Yeah…me too." He nodded.

She smirked and wiggled her eyebrows at him.

As they reached the bottom of the stairs, she turned to him.

"Oh…could you put the dishes in the dishwasher before you come up? Cheers." She said and ran up the stairs.

"But – I – great." He growled.

He clenched his jaw and stormed off into the kitchen.

Gwen giggled as she flopped onto the bed.

"That was fun." She smiled.

She quickly changed and slipped under the covers. When she heard him on the stairs, she closed her eyes and pretended to sleep.

Owen sighed in frustration as he entered the room and saw her.

"Brilliant. She gets me all…excited and just when I think we're...she falls asleep." He mumbled to himself.

As he pulled off his clothes, she squinted at him and had to bite her cheeks to stop herself from laughing and giving herself away. He sat on the bed and watched her for a few minutes. She couldn't hold it in any longer and burst into laughter. He frowned at her as she looked up at him.

"I'm sorry." She laughed.

"What?" He asked.

"I decided it was payback time for what you said earlier at dinner. I think it went pretty well if I say so myself." She said smugly, glancing down at his lap.

"You mean, you knew what you were doing the whole time?" He demanded.

Propping herself up on her elbows, she nodded at him.

"Of course I did." She grinned.

"Right, that's it." He said. The smile disappeared from her face as she saw the mischievous gleam in his eyes. Before she could say anything, he pushed her back down on the bed. He quickly covered her body with his, forcing the breath out of her. "Mine." He growled as he kissed down her neck.

"Always." She breathed, arching her back and pressing herself closer to him.

"Now it's my turn. I'll have my revenge...but I'm not telling you when." He smirked.

An hour and a half later, just as they were drifting off to sleep still entwined in each other's arms, Luke's cries sounded from the baby monitor. Gwen sleepily untangled herself from Owen and sat up. As she went to push herself off the bed, Owen grabbed her and pulled her back down.

"What are you doing?" She frowned.

"I made a promise. I'll go." He whispered.

She lay back down and smiled at him. Before he left, she pulled his face down to hers and kissed him. Grabbing a pair of boxers, he threw them on and left the room.

Gwen felt her eyes grow heavy and she drifted off to the sound of Owen's gentle whispers to Luke over the baby monitor.

That weekend, Owen got his revenge. After a tough week at Torchwood, they all went out to the pub for a pool tournament.

"What's everyone having?" Jack asked.

"Just a half for me please Jack. Not really the drinking sort." Tosh answered.

"I'll have a pint Jack." Gwen nodded.

"Owen? The usual?" Jack asked.

"No, I'm driving. I'll just have the one pint as well." He sighed.

Jack left with Ianto to get the drinks leaving Tosh, Owen and Gwen still standing around the pool table.

"Where's Luke?" Tosh asked as she passed Gwen the cue.

"My mum and dad have taken him for the weekend again." Gwen answered.

As she took aim, Owen stood behind her.

"No, Gwen you're doing it all wrong." He told her.

She straightened up and glared at him.

"I know how to play." She said.

"I know you do but…here, let me help." He replied.

Turning her back to the table, he pressed himself into her back and bent her over the table. He put one hand on her thigh and the other on her stomach to steady them. He moved her hair out of the way so he could see what he was doing. She felt his breath on her neck as she pointed the cue at the white ball. Putting his hands over hers, he adjusted the shot. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and tried to focus. But…if she just turned her head, she'd be able to capture his lips with hers. If she moved her hips a little, she'd be able to press her backside into him. Maybe he'd turn her around and back her up against the table. Her breathing hitched as he nibbled gently on her ear.

When he let go of her hands, she tried to hit the ball but the cue completely missed as he placed his hands back on her thighs.

"Oi, you did that on purpose." She argued.

"Did what? It's not my fault if you're not focused enough." He smirked.

She opened her mouth to protest but decided against it as she remembered Tosh was in the room. Glaring at him, she took her shot again. She thought she felt his hand brush her bum but when she turned around he was stood a few feet away.

When it was Tosh and Ianto's turn to play against each other, Owen pulled Gwen onto his lap as they sat speaking to Jack.

"So how did the memory thing go?" Jack asked.

"It was hard at first but…" She shivered as Owen blew gently on the back of her neck. "But I managed to do it in the end…"

"I really am sorry about that." Jack mumbled.

"Don't worry about it." She told him.

"No but I should have been more careful." He sighed.

"Jack I'm -" She jumped as Owen's hands wandered under the table onto her thighs and squeezed. "Fine…I'm fine. Forget about it."

Owen hid his face behind her back and smirked as he traced lazy patterns on her inner thigh. She felt her face grow hot as she turned bright red. Jack frowned as she shifted uncomfortably. Running his finger across the waistband of her jeans, he winked over her shoulder at Jack. Jack stood up quickly, uncomfortable with the situation, and went to watch the pool game.

"What's up with him?" Owen asked innocently.

"Like you don't know." She mumbled. "I need a drink of water."

Sliding off Owen's lap, she made her way to the bar.

"Yeah, good idea. You're looking a bit hot and flushed." Owen called.

She stumbled and swore loudly. People turned to stare at her, thinking she was drunk. As she reached the bar she turned and glared at Owen.

When she returned with her drink, he tried to pull her back onto his knee but she pulled away and sat on a chair next to him. Tosh, Jack and Ianto returned to the table and sat chatting. Gwen tried to join in with the conversations but was distracted as Owen's hand once again found it's way to her thigh. She folded her arms and sat stiffly in her chair.

"Are you two having another argument? I'm not sitting through another domestic." Ianto sighed.

"No, we're not arguing. Are we Gwen?" Owen asked.

"No, no we're…fine." She answered.

She had no choice but to let Owen pull her onto his lap. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he placed one hand on her back under her shirt. He trailed kisses down her neck, sucking gently here and there. Ianto cringed as she gasped and closed her eyes.

"Do you have to do that here?" He asked.

"He's right. Owen stop it." She hissed.

He slowly moved his hand up her back to the clasp on her bra and undid it. Blushing scarlet, she stood up and ran to the toilets.

"I'll be right back." Owen grinned.

He ran after Gwen as Tosh raised her eyebrows at Jack.

"They're not coming back are they?" She smiled.

"Not tonight anyway." Jack laughed.

When Owen reached the ladies toilets, he peeked in and made sure there were no other women in there. There was only one cubicle door shut and he couldn't see anyone else.

"Gwen? Are you ok?" He called, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Piss off Owen." Gwen shouted from the cubicle.

"I'll take that as a no…can I come in?" He asked.

"No…yes." She mumbled. She opened the door and dragged him in. "You can do this up for me."

As she turned, she lifted the back of her top up so Owen could fasten her bra. He ran his finger down her spine causing her to shiver. Kissing across her shoulders, he did as she'd asked.

When she pulled away, he frowned.

"I'm sorry if I've upset you." He whispered.

"You haven't, you just…pissed me off. Did you have to do that in public?" She sighed.

"Sorry, I was just -"

He was cut off by her lips crushing onto his. She broke away, gasping for air.

"Home, now. You better finish what you started Owen Harper." She ordered.

"I love it when you talk like that." He whispered.

She kissed him again and grabbed his hand. Pulling her from the cubicle, he almost dragged her out of the pub to the car. She was vaguely aware of the other three calling out to them and waved over her shoulder.

The drive home seemed to take too long for both of them. Gwen screamed in frustration.

"Can't you go any faster?" She sighed.

"Not without getting arrested." Owen answered. "Believe me, this is just as frustrating for me as it is for you."

They were about to pass the car park when Gwen got an idea.

"Well…pull into the car park then." She told him.

"What? You don't like -"

"Right now, I don't care." She shouted.

"Ok…if that's what you want." He shrugged.

He turned off and found an empty floor of the car park. As he turned off the engine, Gwen climbed over to the back seat. Owen turned his head and laughed at her.

"What?" She asked.

"Nothing…this just feels very familiar." He answered. Giggling, she pulled him from his seat into the back. "Whoah, stop. My leg's caught."

"Oh God, sorry." She apologised. Owen untangled his foot that had somehow got caught in the seat belt and pulled his leg into the back. "Are you ok?"

"Fine, just got a little tangled. You're a bit hasty aren't you?" He smirked.

"Yeah well…you started it in the pub." She mumbled.

He pulled her face so their lips were almost touching and looked deep into her eyes.

"And now…I'm going to finish it." He whispered.

Pushing her back against the seat, he clamped his lips over hers covering a gasp that escaped her mouth.

"I love you Owen Harper." She smiled.

"I love you too, Mrs Gwen Elizabeth Cooper-Harper. God that's a mouthful. Are you really keeping the 'Cooper' it sounds…weird." He asked as he pulled off his t-shirt.

"Hmm…no I suppose not. It is a bit weird." She sighed.

He chuckled and gently tugged off her t-shirt.

Little did either of them know, in a few years things would go terribly wrong. Something that would change their lives forever.

******A/N:** Yeah, sorry again about this chapter. I really do need to stop watching films and listening to music and things while I write. It influences what I write too much! =S


	18. Chapter 18

******A/N:** Just a little change in the last chapter, instead of a year passing it's going to be a few years later. Really hate myself for this chapter and the possible chapters to come…not sure yet! =S

After another five years had passed, Gwen and Owen stood in the bathroom, staring at the object in Gwen's hand. She looked up into his eyes and back down at her hand. When she looked up at him again, she saw him watching her. They beamed at each other, still half in shock. She threw her arms around his neck as he grabbed her around the waist and spun her around. The positive pregnancy test dropped to the floor as she threaded her fingers through his hair and kissed him passionately.

When Gwen had suspicions that she might be pregnant again, she'd voiced her opinions to Owen. He'd driven out at ten o'clock that night to get her a pregnancy test.

Owen held her tight to his chest as he continued to kiss her. He pressed her up against the wall and ran his hands down her sides to her hips.

"What are you doing?" A voice asked curiously.

Gwen's head snapped around to see a six year old Luke in the doorway, his hair a mess from having just woken up and his teddy in his hand. She pushed Owen out of the way and walked around him to stand facing Luke.

"Luke, what are you doing up? It's past your bedtime." Gwen scolded.

"I had a bad dream." He mumbled, rubbing his tired eyes.

She softened as she looked at her sleepy little angel. Making her way over to him, she picked him up and hugged him tight. He wrapped his arms around her neck, burying his face in her shoulder and closed his eyes.

"It's just a dream sweetheart." She whispered, soothingly.

"Can I sleep with you tonight mummy?" He asked.

She looked over at Owen, who nodded and walked over to her side. He rubbed Luke's back and kissed the top of his head.

"Of course you can." She told him. He yawned and Gwen felt his grip loosen. He fell back to sleep as she carried him to their bedroom. Placing him gently on the bed, she kissed his cheek and ran her thumb across it. "He's getting heavy now, bless him."

"He's growing quite fast." Owen nodded. "Just think, in nine months time, we'll be watching another little Harper growing up."

"Just what the world needs, more bloody Harpers." She laughed.

He frowned at her, offended. She turned, smiling at him and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. When she pulled away, she knew she was forgiven. Grabbing an old t-shirt of Owen's and a pair of tracksuit bottoms, she made her way to the bathroom to get changed.

"Oi, that's mine. That's just cheeky." Owen called.

"Yep." She nodded and turned to grin at him.

She stuck out her tongue and ran into the bathroom, closing the door shut behind her. He laughed at her and shook his head. Luke obviously got his craziness from her…well, he contributed a bit. Owen pulled off his t-shirt and looked for some comfortable bottoms to change into.

Gwen returned and climbed into bed beside Luke as Owen left for the bathroom. She watched him sleeping, a smile on her face. Gently running her fingers through his hair, she sighed.

"You still can't stop watching him can you?" Owen laughed.

She jumped at the sound of his voice, not expecting him to have come back so quickly.

"Don't do that." She hissed.

"Sorry." He chuckled and made his way over to the bed. "You like watching him sleep."

"He looks so peaceful." She smiled.

"It's about the only time he is. I can't keep up with him these days." Owen sighed.

"You're getting old." Gwen giggled.

"I'm not getting old, I'm just…not as young as I used to be. It's running around after aliens all day that's tiring me out." He argued.

She shook her head and smiled at him as he climbed in on the other side of Luke. As he pulled the covers over them, Luke shuffled to Owen's side. Owen wrapped an arm around him and smiled down at his sleeping son.

"I wonder what he dreamt about." Gwen said, concerned.

"It was probably nothing to worry about, you know how kids can be. Look at him, he's fine now." He pointed out.

"Yeah…I suppose." She sighed.

"Oh and before I forget, stop teaching him Welsh. If you're teaching him to insult me, at least do it in English. Yesterday he said 'cara 'ch dad'. What does that mean?" Owen asked.

"It means 'I love you dad.'" She giggled.

"Really?" He asked, suspiciously.

"Honestly, that's what it means." She told him.

"Ok…so next time your dad comes…"

"I'll say it to him." Gwen nodded.

Owen watched her for a few moments before shrugging at her. She leant over Luke and kissed him. As he turned out the light, she cuddled up to Luke and held onto one of Owen's hands.

After dropping Luke off at infant school the next morning, they made their way to the Hub. Gwen drove, needing something to concentrate on so she didn't explode from excitement. Owen laughed at her as she jumped up and down in her seat. He reached over and placed his hand on her thigh, gently squeezing.

"Are you ready to tell Tosh and the others?" Owen asked as they pulled up outside the Hub.

She took a deep breath and nodded.

"I think so. I'm more nervous about telling Tosh than my parents." She whispered.

"Why?" Owen laughed.

"Because she gets a little overexcited and ends up almost squeezing us to death." She giggled. "Bless her."

"Yeah, she does that." Owen nodded.

Climbing out of the car, she quickly joined Owen and grabbed his hand.

The rolling door opened as they stepped through. The Hub was empty as they looked around. They found a note in Tosh's handwriting explaining that they'd gone Weevil hunting.

"That gives me an idea." Gwen smiled.

Owen looked at her in confusion as she grabbed a sticky note and scribbled a note on it. He peeked over her shoulder at what she was writing.

"___We're having another baby!  
G & O xxx"_

She stuck it on Tosh's computer and turned to Owen.

"That's one way of doing it." He said. "But we'll still be here when she reads it, she's still going to jump on you."

"Didn't think about that…" She mumbled.

When Tosh returned and read the note, she screamed and ran down into the autopsy bay where Gwen was hiding. Owen was sat at his computer, hoping to confuse her but it didn't work.

The scream made Jack drop the papers he was holding and caused Ianto to spill his coffee. They ran out and looked around for signs of trouble. Owen raised his hands in reassurance and smiled at them.

"Don't worry, everything's fine. She just found out Gwen's pregnant again." He told them.

Jack and Ianto exchanged a shocked look before smiling at Owen. The sound of two sets of footsteps coming from the autopsy bay made them all turn around. Tosh emerged holding Gwen's hand in hers. They laughed as Gwen looked slightly dishevelled.

"Are you ok?" Jack asked.

"Fine. Tosh sort of jumped on me. You were meant to tell her I wasn't feeling too good and stayed at home." She said to Owen.

"I didn't get a chance." He replied.

"I knew you were here anyway. I recognised the writing on the note. If you'd have stayed at home, there wouldn't be a note, Owen would've just told us." She explained.

"You're too clever." Gwen sighed.

Tosh smiled and finally let go of her. Owen winked at Gwen as she made her way over to him.

"Well anyway, congratulations." Jack smiled.

Over the next few months, Gwen became ill. Owen grew more and more concerned as she became worse. He was out of his mind by the end of her fifth month of pregnancy when she ended up in hospital. The doctors reassured him that the baby was fine and she'd recover soon enough but it did little to comfort him. Seeing her everyday, so weak and pale frightened him. The usual sparkle in her eyes was gone and she wasn't herself.

When her parents came to visit her, she broke down in tears. Owen offered them to stay in the guest room while Gwen was still in hospital. They were halfway through decorating it and changing it into the new baby's room but it was still usable as a guest room.

It was a relief when Gwen was allowed out of hospital a few weeks later. She was still weak but she was slowly becoming herself again.

Finally the due date arrived and Gwen went into labour. Things were different from the last time and it frightened them both.

"Owen I'm scared." She admitted.

He gripped her hand tightly as tears flowed down both their cheeks. Though he wanted to admit it too, he knew he had to be strong for her.

"You're going to be fine, I promise." He reassured her. "I love you."

"I love you too." She told him.

"Luke's looking forward to his new brother or sister getting here. Tosh is having trouble keeping him occupied." Owen told her, trying to keep her spirits up.

She laughed through her tears.

"Tell him I love him." She whispered.

"You can tell him yourself. You're not giving up on me yet, do you hear me? Everything's going to be fine." He told her.

She looked up at him, not saying anything. Pulling his face down to hers, she kissed him desperately.

"Mr Harper, I'm afraid we're going to have to ask you to step out." The doctor told him.

Owen felt himself being pulled away from Gwen as he continued to watch her.

"I love you." She whispered.

The door closed creating a barrier between them. He turned and saw Tosh, Luke, Jack and Ianto sitting opposite. None of the team said a word to him as he sat down and pulled Luke onto his lap in a tight hug.

"Why are you crying daddy?" Luke asked.

"It's nothing." Owen answered, putting on a false smile for him.

"Is mummy crying too?" He enquired.

"No, mummy's fine. She said she loves you. Hey Luke, your baby brother or sister will be here soon. Are you excited?" Owen asked, trying his hardest to remain optimistic.

Luke nodded and smiled.

The wait seemed to last for hours until a grim looking doctor walked out of the room, the door closing behind him.

"Mr Harper…can I have a word?" He asked.

Owen's stomach dropped as he just stared at the doctor. Whatever the news was, he couldn't handle it alone.

"Whatever it is…you can say it in front of everyone. Actually…do you have someone to look after Luke? I don't want him hearing this." Owen said.

"If that's what you want…then I'm sure one of the nurses can look after him." He nodded.

Calling one of the nurses over, he told them to take Luke down to the staff room.

"What is it?" Owen asked quietly.

"Well…we managed to save the baby but…I'm afraid Mrs Harper didn't make it. She was very ill and…she couldn't cope." He informed them.

A single tear rolled down Tosh's cheek as Jack and Ianto bowed their heads and buried their faces in their hands. The room began to spin as Owen felt his world crashing down around him.

"No…she can't be…it's not true…" Owen shouted.

"I'm sorry Mr Harper." The doctor said.

"No…" He sobbed. Tosh put her arm around his shoulder but he shrugged it off and stood up. "Can I see them?"

The doctor nodded and opened the door for Owen. His eyes fell on the baby in one of the nurse's arms. She handed the bundle to him, silently. He saw the baby was a little girl with Gwen's eyes. Looking over at the bed, he saw Gwen's lifeless form. Her eyes were closed and she looked peaceful. Leaning down, he kissed her still warm lips and held one of her hands in his. This wasn't happening to him. This was some nightmare he was having and soon he'd wake up and everything would be fine.

"Do you have a name?" The nurse asked gently.

"Yeah…Gwen chose…she wanted…Lucy…Lucy Eve Harper." He told her.

She nodded and left the room.

Gwen's parents entered, her mother shaking with tears while her father tried to stay strong but failed. Mary hugged Owen tight and they held each other as they cried. He told them Lucy's name and passed her onto Mary. The rest of the team slowly filed in.

As everyone stood around Gwen's bed crying and speaking quietly to each other, Owen left the room noticed only by Tosh. She followed him out.

"Owen, I'm really sorry." She whispered.

"This can't be happening Tosh. This isn't real." He sobbed.

She watched him as he paced the corridor, not knowing what to do with himself. The nurse looking after Luke appeared around the corner with him.

"Sorry, I've been called up to an emergency." She apologised.

Owen picked him up and hugged him tight. He put him down next to Tosh.

"Luke, I want you to be good for your Auntie Tosh ok?" Luke nodded and held Tosh's hand. "Tosh can you look after him…them?" He asked.

"Yeah, sure. Where are you going?" She asked. When Owen didn't answer, she nodded. "When will you be back?"

Again, he didn't answer. He turned and walked out of the hospital. She looked down at Luke. He waited to see if Owen returned before he turned to Tosh.

"Where's daddy going? Can I go with him?" He asked.

"He just needs some time alone. He'll be back soon." Tosh told him.

"Where's my mummy? Does she need time alone?" He asked.

Another tear rolled down her face as she tried to think of an answer.


	19. Chapter 19

******A/N:** I'm ignoring the second series and making my own little story up about something.

Weeks later, Tosh, Jack and Ianto were in the Hub gathering up Gwen's things. Luke and Lucy were up in the meeting room.

"Isn't there any way?" Tosh asked.

"We destroyed the glove when Suzie came back. There's no way we can bring Gwen back." Jack said sadly.

"But…like I said, gloves come in pairs. There could be another one out there." Ianto argued.

"Even if there was, it only brings people back for two minutes at the most." Jack sighed.

"Different gloves might do different things. We could bring her back for good." Tosh suggested.

"How would we explain that to her parents? You thought your daughter was dead but here is she is alive and well." Jack said sarcastically.

"It was just a suggestion." Tosh mumbled. "I feel terrible not being able to let her parents give her a proper burial."

"Rules and regulations." Jack said quietly.

"I know but…why? Torchwood never thought about the effects it would have on the families. Maybe it's time we started." She told him.

Silence fell on the three of them as they thought about it.

"Any word from Owen?" Jack asked.

Tosh shook her head and looked up at the meeting room.

"Nothing. Luke keeps asking for them and I just don't know what to tell him. I've tried calling him but he's turned his phone off. Gwen's parents tried going to the house a few days after but they said he's not there and his car's gone." Tosh explained.

"We should go and find him. I know what it's like to lose the person you love." Ianto told them.

Jack looked up at him sadly before looking away. He nodded and picked up the box of Gwen's things, leading them out to the SUV. Tosh went to fetch Luke and Lucy.

"Auntie Tosh, when can I see my mummy and daddy?" Luke asked.

"You can see your daddy soon. I promise." She told him.

"What about mummy?" He frowned.

"Mummy's in a better place. She's happy and she's watching over you. She'll always be with you." Tosh whispered, trying her hardest not to break down into tears.

Luke thought about this for a moment before climbing into the back of her car. The SUV was much too dangerous and there were way too many gadgets for them to be taken in.

Tosh followed the SUV back to Gwen and Owen's house. Owen's car was badly parked on the drive next to Gwen's.

Jack and Ianto had already entered the house and a few minutes later, Jack came back out and spoke to Tosh.

"You should take the kids back to yours. Owen's in a bit of a state." He told her.

"Is he ok?" She asked.

"He's not done anything too stupid." Jack answered, avoiding answering the question properly.

"What's happened? What's he done? Is he really ok?" She demanded.

"Luke, stay in the car and look after your little sister, yeah." Jack said to him.

"Ok Uncle Jack. I'll protect her." Luke replied.

"You do just that." Jack smiled.

Tosh climbed out of the car and slowly followed Jack into the house. The smell of stale beer hit her face as soon as she entered. Broken bottles and glass lay all over the floor as they made their way into the living room.

Owen was sat in the middle of the sofa, hair sticking up on end, red eyes and a beer bottle in his hand. He stared into space, ignoring Ianto who was trying to speak to him.

"Owen, come on. Your kids are outside. Do you want them to see you like this? You have to be strong for them. They need you." Ianto told him.

Tosh moved the empty bottles that covered the sofa and sat down next to Owen.

"Owen…Gwen wouldn't want this." She said gently. He flinched as she said Gwen's name. "She'd want you to carry on and be there for your children. You're still their father and like Ianto said, they need you." Owen glanced at her before staring back into space. Gently, she tugged the bottle from his hand and set it on the table. "Please Owen, don't make your children lose both their parents."

He held his head in his hands and shook with tears.

"Do you want to see them?" Jack asked. Owen nodded and looked up at Jack. "Well you'd better get yourself cleaned up. Ianto, you take him upstairs and get him sorted out. Tosh, could you help me clean up all this?"

Ianto helped Owen off the sofa and out of the room. Owen stumbled all the way, still full of alcohol. Tosh and Jack grabbed some black bin bags and started to tidy up the bottles. They used up almost half a roll before they'd finished.

When Owen and Ianto returned, he looked a little better. He'd showered and put on clean clothes. He was no longer staggering around.

Tosh went out to get Luke and Lucy from the car. Owen waited in the doorway as Luke came running up to him.

"Daddy!" He shouted excitedly.

Scooping him up into his arms, he held him tight to his chest and closed his eyes. He took him back inside the house and sat down on the sofa, pulling him onto his lap.

When Tosh brought Lucy in, Owen found it hard to look at her. Her eyes reminded him so much of Gwen. Tosh gently placed her in his arms. Huge tears rolled down his face as he held his children.

"Have you been behaving for Tosh?" He asked, trying to keep his voice from breaking.

Luke nodded up at him.

"I was looking after Lucy in the car." He said proudly. "Daddy, Auntie Tosh said mummy was in a better place and she's watching over us. Is she?"

Glancing up at Tosh, he took a deep breath before answering.

"Yeah, she is." He nodded.

"Does that mean we're not going to see her again?" Luke asked sadly.

"I'm afraid not but she's still here with us in some way." He answered.

Jack suddenly froze.

"There might be a way." He whispered quietly.

It wasn't quiet enough for Owen not to hear. His head snapped up and he looked at Jack.

"What? You mean…you can bring her back?" He demanded.

"I don't know. It's probably impossible. Don't get your hopes up." Jack warned.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Well…it's a long shot but…it won't work." Jack sighed defeated.

"Jack, tell me." Owen shouted.

"Tosh gave me the idea earlier. The resurrection glove." Jack told him.

"But that was destroyed after we brought Suzie back." Owen frowned.

"Like Ianto said, gloves come in pairs. I was thinking…the ghost machine shows us the future using emotions. Maybe we could somehow override it and use it to help us find the other resurrection glove." He explained.

"Let's do it." Owen shouted.

"Owen…don't get your hopes up. I don't think it's going to work." Jack told him.

"We have to try." Owen said. "I'll get the neighbours to look after the kids, they've done it before."

Jack watched him, wishing he'd never said anything. He knew this would happen and he wasn't sure how Owen would take it if it didn't work. Sighing, he stood up and followed Owen out of the house. Tosh and Ianto glanced at each other before leaving too.

"Jack, what about her parents? Like you said, how will we explain this to them?" Tosh asked.

"You said it before, it's time we thought about the families. We'll think of something." He replied.

She watched him for a few seconds before getting back in her car. Jack and Ianto waited in the SUV for Owen while he dropped Luke and Lucy off at his neighbours. Tosh went ahead to the Hub.

When they all entered the Hub, Jack grabbed the ghost machine from the safe and joined the others in the main area. He looked around at them all.

"Everyone ready?" He asked. They all nodded as they eyed the ghost machine in his hands. "Ok, I'll think about finding the glove and try pushing it into the machine. I'm not saying it'll work but…it's worth a try."

Owen clenched his jaw as Jack closed his eyes and tried to focus. The machine lit up and began to bleep. Jack's thumbs covered the buttons and pressed them.

Seconds later, he gasped and looked around at them.

"What did you see? Did you find it?" Ianto asked.

"Yeah…but it's not going to be easy to get it." He answered.

"Where is it?" Owen demanded.

The team turned around at the sound of the cog door opening. Gray walked through, holding the glove in the air.

"Looking for this?" He smirked.

Owen started forward, his face twisted in anger. Ianto and Jack grabbed the back of his jacket and held him back.

"Give it to me." Owen shouted.

"I will…if you give me what I want. If not, I'll destroy the glove." Gray shrugged.

Pulling out of his team mates grasp, Owen walked towards him.

"You tried to ruin Jack's life, you hurt my wife and you tried to kill me. Gwen's gone but I will bring her back. You're standing in the way of that and that's a dangerous place to be. So why don't you give me the glove and I'll let you disappear again, alive." Owen said.

"You don't scare me." Gray laughed. "Like I said you give me what I want and you can have the glove."

"What is it you want exactly?" Owen asked.

"I want your precious Captain. I want his life." Gray spat.

Jack looked at his brother sadly.

"Gray, I'm sorry. I thought you were dead, there was nothing I could do." He whispered.

"Well now there is. It's your life or the girls." Gray grinned.

Tosh and Ianto looked at Gray in horror. They looked back at Jack and then at Owen. Owen was looking at the floor. He wanted Gwen back more than anything but could he ask Jack to give his life up for hers? As if reading his mind, Jack walked over to him and placed his hand on Owen's shoulder.

"You don't have to decide. I've lived too long, it's time to do something useful with my life." Jack whispered.

"Jack you can't." Tosh argued.

Jack ignored her and squeezed Owen's shoulder.

"Go get her." He smiled.

"Thank you." Owen mumbled.

Jack nodded and turned to Gray.

"Ok, take me. Now give them the glove." He said to Gray.

As Jack stepped up to him, Gray began to laugh.

"You think it's going to be that easy? I've told you before, I want you to watch your world crash and burn around you. They're not getting the glove." He laughed.

Grabbing Jack's wrist, he went to press a button on his wrist strap. As he was temporarily distracted, Jack used the arm Gray had hold of to swing him around and pull him into a headlock. Gray struggled against him and dropped the glove.

"Get the glove." Jack shouted.

Owen ran forward and grabbed it. He turned and threw it to Ianto before spinning around back to Jack.

"Need a hand?" He asked.

"Just hold him for a minute." Jack told him.

Owen grabbed the struggling Gray from him and held his arms tight behind his back. Jack ran down to the autopsy bay and appeared again holding a cloth. He clamped it over Gray's mouth and nose and watched him struggle. A tear rolled down his face as his brother slumped against Owen.

"Is that -?"

"Chloroform." Jack nodded.

"What do we do with him now? We can't wait for him to wake up." Owen said, letting Gray fall to the floor.

"We freeze him. He won't be a danger to anyone then and…we don't have to…kill him." Jack mumbled.

Ianto helped Owen carry Gray down to the autopsy and put him into cold storage.

"I'll go down and sort him out and then…I'll send Gwen up." Ianto said quietly.

As he left, Tosh and Owen turned to Jack.

"You saw this happening." Tosh whispered.

"Yeah." Jack nodded. "But…in the vision…I had to…do things differently."

An uncomfortable silence fell in the room and none of them wanted to be the first to break it.

The minutes ticked by slowly before Ianto returned.

"She's ready." He told them.

Owen's trembling hand opened the cold storage door and pulled out Gwen's lifeless body. Tears rolled down his face as he pulled her onto the autopsy table. Running his thumb across her cheek, he leant down and kissed her lips. Jack placed the glove on his hand and stepped up beside them.

"I thought the glove only worked for Suzie and…Gwen." Owen said.

"I'm not going to give this glove a choice." Jack told him. "And if Gwen managed to bring Suzie back, then I'll bring Gwen back."

"Last time Suzie was able to come back because she was draining the life out of Gwen. What if the same thing happens to you?" Tosh asked.

"I've lived long enough." He answered.

"I can't ask you to do that Jack." Owen said quietly.

"Then I won't let the glove do it. It'll do as I say." He replied determinedly.

Owen looked at him and nodded.

Just as Jack reached out to touch the back of Gwen's head, Owen moved to stop him.

"Sorry…I just…I can't…I can't be here if it doesn't work…I just can't live through losing her all over again." He whispered.

Tosh held his hand and smiled comfortingly at him.

"We understand and I'm sure Gwen will too. Go home to your kids." She told him.

Taking one last longing look at Gwen, he left the room and slowly made his way out of the Hub.

Jack waited until he heard the rolling door close before looking around at Tosh and Ianto.

"Anyone else?" He asked. They looked away from him but stayed put. "Ok, here we go."

He gently held the glove to Gwen's head and waited.


	20. Chapter 20

Tosh's eyes clamped shut as she waited. A few seconds passed and nothing happened. Ianto checked the machines he'd hooked up to her and shook his head.

"Nothing's happening." Ianto whispered.

"Come on Gwen…come on." Jack muttered, his eyes closed tight in concentration.

Tosh opened her eyes a tiny bit and peeked out. She gasped and pointed to Gwen's hand.

"Look." She shouted.

The machines behind Ianto began to beep, indicating a slow heartbeat. Ianto started his stopwatch. They looked down and saw her hand twitch slightly.

"That's it. Come on Gwen." Jack shouted.

"Heartbeat's speeding up and she's breathing." Ianto told them.

Gwen gasped loudly and opened her eyes.

"What – what's happening? Where am I?" She demanded.

"Gwen, just hang on in there. We'll explain soon." Jack told her.

"Where's Owen?" She asked, her eyes darting around the room. "Oh my God, why am I in the autopsy bay? Jack…I…"

"Two minutes. I think it's safe to say she's back for good." Ianto smiled.

Jack removed his hand from her head and beamed down at her.

When she saw the glove on his hand, she sat up quickly and flinched away from him, wrapping the sheet around herself.

"But…how…am I…am I doing what Suzie did to me?" She asked.

Tosh used her machine to check the energy flow from Jack to Gwen.

"Nope. You're both one hundred percent fine." She told them.

She grabbed Gwen into a bone crushing hug as tears spilled down her face.

"Erm Tosh…I'd be a little more comfortable if I had some clothes on." Gwen told her.

"Sorry." Tosh giggled through her tears.

She ran out of the autopsy bay to fetch her some spare clothes.

"How are you feeling?" Jack asked.

"Cold. My head's pounding and…what happened?" She whispered.

"You were ill when you were carrying your daughter and when you gave birth…you didn't make it." Jack explained.

"I was…I remember." She gasped.

___Flashback._

___Gwen woke up one morning and the room spun around her. Stumbling to the bathroom, she threw up into the toilet. She sat with her back against the cool tiles on the wall and pulled her knees up to her chest. Owen walked in and knelt down beside her._

"___Are you ok?" He asked._

"___Fine, it's just…morning sickness." She mumbled._

"___Do you want to stay at home today?" He asked as he tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear._

"___No, no. It'll wear off soon. I'll be fine." She argued._

___As she tried to pull herself up, she stumbled and fell. Owen caught her before she hit the floor and steadied her._

"___That's it, you're going back to bed." He told her._

"___I can't. I've got to get Luke ready for school." She argued as he led her back to their room._

"___I'll get him ready. You just get back into bed." Owen said firmly. She sighed and crawled into bed. "I'll bring you up some water, you just try and get some sleep. Before I take Luke to school, I'll send him up."_

___He placed a kiss on her forehead and left the room._

___She vaguely remembered kissing Luke goodbye but everything after was a blur._

___Over the next couple of days, it was the same._

___By the end of the week, Owen wanted to take Gwen in to the Hub to do some tests but she insisted it was just morning sickness._

"___Owen, I'm fine. Honestly there's nothing wrong with me." She sighed._

"___I'd feel a lot better if you just let me do a quick blood test. What harm will it do?" He asked._

"___You don't need to do a blood test. I'm fine." Gwen insisted._

___Owen let it go for that moment but as the weeks drew on and there was no improvement, he kept on insisting he did the tests. As always, she'd refused._

___A few weeks later, she woke up in a cold sweat and couldn't stop shivering. Her vision doubled and she could no longer get out of bed on her own. Jack let Owen stay off work to care for her._

"___Gwen please, if you won't let me do the tests at least let me call another doctor." Owen begged._

___She was too ill to protest so she sighed and nodded._

___When the doctor came, he told them it was just a bad case of the flu. Owen told him how long it had gone on for and the doctor became concerned._

"___In your condition, I recommend you go to the hospital. I can't see anything wrong with the baby but there's only so much I can do without proper machines." He told her._

"___No, I'm not going to the hospital." She argued._

"___Well I think it'd be a better idea if you did. However, if you insist then I'm prescribing you plenty of bed rest and water. Try not to get too stressed either, it won't help. If this carries on though, then I'm afraid you'll have no choice but to go." He explained._

___Gwen groaned and pulled the duvet tight around her. No matter how many layers she wore or how many blankets she had, she just couldn't get warm. Owen watched her, full of concern before showing the doctor out._

"___Are you sure she's fine?" He asked._

"___Well as a doctor yourself, I'm sure you know it's not a good sign for her to be this ill whilst expecting. You must take her to the hospital if there are no improvements. I suggest you leave it only a week. There could be something seriously wrong that I can't find without proper equipment. Though I'd prefer it that she went in today." The doctor explained._

"___Yes, thank you doctor." Owen said._

___By this time she was nearing the end of her fifth month of pregnancy._

___When she began to hardly respond, Owen took charge and took her into the hospital. The doctor's hooked her up to various machines and told him that the baby was fine. They were baffled as to why Gwen was so ill when they could fin____d____ nothing._

___Owen was suspicious that working for Torchwood had something to do with it and the doctor's machines weren't advanced enough to detect anything. If only he could get her down to the Hub, the equipment there would be perfect._

___Gwen's skin turned ghostly pale and she could hardly open her eyes. When she did, their usual spark had disappeared and they'd become dull._

___Her parents arrived days later while Gwen was sleeping. Mary entered the room, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes. She grabbed Gwen's hand and looked down at her daughter._

"___Oh Gwen. What's wrong with her? Will she be ok?" She asked._

"___They can't find anything wrong with her or the baby and they said they'll both be fine. When I asked how long they thought it would last, they couldn't tell me." Owen explained._

"___My poor baby." Mary whispered._

___Gwen's eyes fluttered open and looked up at her mother._

"___Mum…dad…" She mumbled._

"___We're here duckling." Her father told her._

"___You're…here…" She whispered._

___Mary began to sob as she saw just how weak her daughter had become. She squeezed Gwen's hand in hers._

"___Mary, don't worry she'll be fine." Geraint said, trying to reassure himself as well._

"___Mum…it's ok…" Gwen whispered._

___Seeing her mother so upset drew tears from her own eyes and she couldn't stop them from spilling down her face. She grew quiet as sleep took her over again. Even crying drained her of so much energy._

"___Look, it'll be easier if you stayed somewhere close. We've still got the guest bedroom. It's a bit of a mess at the minute because we were redecorating but you can still stay." Owen told them._

___Her parents accepted the offer._

___Gwen grew stronger over the next few weeks and the doctor's allowed her to go home. She was still weak but she was able to do things for herself and she no longer came out in cold sweats._

___Then everything changed._

___The night she gave birth, the pain was unbearable. She held onto Owen's hand tight as they took a taxi to the hospital. Although he kept strong for her, she could see the panic in his eyes. He'd called the team and her parents who'd gone home after they thought she had recovered. They both tried to keep calm as Luke was with them but Gwen couldn't stop shaking._

___As soon as they reached the hospital, the doctor's rushed her into the delivery room. The rest of the team had reached the hospital so Owen left Luke with them and went with Gwen._

"___Owen, I'm scared." She admitted._

___He gripped her hand tightly as tears flowed down both their cheeks. Though he wanted to admit it too, he knew he had to be strong for her._

"___You're going to be fine, I promise." He reassured her. "I love you."_

"___I love you too." She told him._

"___Luke's looking forward to his new brother or sister getting here. Tosh is having trouble keeping him occupied." Owen told her, trying to keep her spirits up._

___She laughed through her tears._

"___Tell him I love him." She whispered._

"___You can tell him yourself. You're not giving up on me yet, do you hear me? Everything's going to be fine." He told her._

___She looked up at him, not saying anything. Pulling his face down to hers, she kissed him desperately._

"___Mr Harper, I'm afraid we're going to have to ask you to step out." The doctor told him._

___Owen felt himself being pulled away from Gwen as he continued to watch her._

"___I love you." She whispered._

___The door closed leaving her alone and terrified._

___She remembered the pain, the white hot pain, seeming to last forever._

___Then everything went black._

___End of flashback._

"Gwen, are you ok?" Jack asked, breaking her out of her thoughts.

When she looked up Tosh had brought back some clothes and they were all staring at her concerned.

"My baby, what happened? Did they save it?" She demanded.

"She's fine. You have a beautiful baby girl called Lucy Eve Harper. She looks so much like you, your eyes, the shape of your lips, everything. She reminded Owen so much of you…he found it hard to cope. They're fine though." He said quickly seeing the panic on her face.

She took the clothes from Tosh as the rest of the team left the autopsy bay to let her get dressed.

When she emerged, she met them in Jack's office. He sat her down in his chair and wrapped a blanket around her.

"Thanks." She whispered.

"You must be freezing." Tosh said.

Gwen nodded and smiled half-heartedly. It was still hard to take everything in. Tears streamed down her face. She needed to see Owen and her children. Needed to hold them in her arms again and tell them everything was ok. There were things she needed to know first.

"You brought me back…with...that." Gwen pointed to glove on Jack's desk, cringing away from it. He nodded and she decided she didn't want to know the details of how they found it. "Am I…am I like you Jack?" She asked.

"No, you're alive but you can still die. Everything's as it should be, I wouldn't wish my curse on anyone." He told her.

"How long have I…how long has it been?" She whispered.

"Almost a month." Ianto told her.

She gasped and held her hand over her mouth. Tosh, Jack and Ianto looked at each other and then at the floor.

"My parents, what do we tell them? Does Owen know what you've done?" She asked, trying to remain calm.

"Owen knows we were going to try but…he couldn't watch. He couldn't live through losing you again if it didn't work. As for your parents, if you don't mind…I think it would be a good idea if we retcon them so they don't remember…losing you. It's too complicated to try and come up with a reasonable explanation for all this." Jack explained.

She nodded and held her face in her hands. The thought of Owen's eyes looking at her like they had the last time she saw him filled her mind. It hurt to think of him like that. Luke's face flashed before her eyes and she thought of never being able to see him again. Then there was her baby girl. Her daughter she hadn't even met yet. She would never have witnessed her first word, her first steps, if Jack and the others hadn't brought her back.

"Can I go home?" She sobbed.

"Of course you can. I think we've made Owen wait long enough." Jack smiled.

Gwen felt the need to see him become stronger. She leant on Jack for support as she still felt weak from…being in her condition a few minutes before. He led her out of the Hub and into the SUV, the blanket still wrapped tightly around her.


	21. Chapter 21

When they reached her home, she stared out of the window at it, her heart pounding. She jumped out and burst through the front door, throwing the blanket off her as it slowed her down.

The smell of stale beer still hung through the house and hit her in the face. She saw the bin bags in the corner from when Tosh and Jack had cleared up the bottles and glass. All thoughts however, vanished as she heard familiar footsteps.

Owen ran out of the living room to see who had just run into his house. He froze in the living room doorway as his eyes fell on Gwen. A small gasp escaped his lips. Stepping forward slowly, his eyes filled with tears. She watched him come closer, smiling through tears of her own. His hand reached out to touch her arm, testing to see if she was real.

"Oh my God, they did it." He whispered.

She nodded as he pulled her into a tight hug. He crushed her against his chest and buried his face in her hair as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Cupping her face in his hands, he brought it up to his and crushed his lips onto hers, kissing her fiercely. She clung onto him for dear life and never wanted to let go. Their tongues clashed as they battled for dominance. She ran her fingers through his hair and curled them into place. They were gasping for air when they broke apart. Tosh, Ianto and Jack slowly filed in and smiled at them.

"We'll be off in a second, we just wanted to see if you were both ok." Jack told them.

"We're fine." Gwen smiled, never taking her eyes from Owen.

"I can't believe you did it. It's just amazing. Thank you." Owen nodded.

"You're welcome." Jack smiled. "I'll go down to your parents house tomorrow and…sort everything out there. They'll remember you being ill but not…the rest." Gwen nodded sadly. "We'll get rid of these and leave you two alone now."

Jack, Tosh and Ianto each grabbed a bin bag and left the house.

"What was in those bags?" Gwen asked.

Before Owen could answer, the sound of running feet came from the living room.

"Daddy, was that Uncle – mummy!" Luke shrieked.

He ran up to Gwen and jumped into her arms. She held him tight and peppered his face in little kisses.

"I've missed you so much." Gwen smiled.

Luke rested his head on her shoulder and started to play with a strand of her hair.

"I missed you too mummy. Daddy did too." Luke told her.

"I know sweetheart, I know." She whispered.

"But daddy and Auntie Tosh said you were in a better place and you weren't coming back. Are you going away again?" He asked, sadly.

"No, mummy's staying right here with you and daddy forever." She told him.

"And Lucy." He added.

"Yes, Lucy too." Gwen nodded, looking at Owen.

Owen smiled and put his arm around her waist. She put Luke back down on the floor and held his hand as they led her into the living room. Her eyes immediately fell on the little carry cot. It was strange to see someone that looked like a mini version of her looking back up at her curiously. She gently picked up the bundle and held her in her arms.

"She's gorgeous isn't she?" Owen whispered.

"Yeah." Gwen smiled. "Lucy Eve Harper."

"I knew you loved that name and I couldn't bring myself to call her anything different." Owen told her.

She smiled at him and caught his lips in a gentle kiss. As she pulled away, she frowned. She seemed to have found the source of the stale beer smell.

"Have you been drinking?" She asked.

"Well…when you…when it happened, I thought I'd lost you for good, I couldn't cope. You're my world and I can't live without you. I left the kids with Tosh and I sort of…went off the rails a bit. They came round this morning and found me in a bad state. Tosh made me see sense again and…they got me cleaned up and sorted out. That's when Jack had the idea to bring you back." Owen explained.

"Owen, I can't believe you. Didn't you think about our kids?" She demanded.

"I did but…I needed time to myself and get away from everything. I love you Gwen, you have no idea how much it killed me to think I'd never see you again. Never see you smiling or getting that cute frown on your face when you're angry. Never hear you singing in the shower." He laughed as she blushed, colour finally returning to her ghostly pale skin. Owen's hand wandered to her face as he stroked her burning cheek. "Yes, I've heard you. Don't be embarrassed, I think it's cute."

Her expression softened and she looked into his eyes.

"I love you too." She whispered.

"I still can't believe it worked." He whispered, more to himself than to her. "How are you feeling? You've got some colour back in your cheeks."

"I'm fine. I think I'm going to have a shower though seeing as I've gone for nearly a month without one." She giggled. She stopped as she saw the pain in Owen's face and almost kicked herself. "Sorry, I wasn't thinking."

"No, it's fine." He mumbled.

Placing Lucy back in her carry cot, she turned and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"I really am sorry. Forgive me?" She said.

She went on her tip-toes and placed a long, gentle kiss on his forehead. When she looked into his eyes, she saw he was smiling slightly.

"I forgive you." He nodded.

He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers. Pulling her arms from around his waist, he held her hands tight in his against his chest. He ran his nose along her jaw line and placed light kisses here and there. When he broke away, he kissed both her hands and let them go.

"I should probably get my shower now." She sighed.

"No, wait. We can put the kids to bed early tonight and you can have your shower then, that way…I'll be able to join you. Plus, we can spend some time together alone. Then tomorrow, you can spend all day with the kids. Luke's missed you so much and it'll be nice for Lucy to meet you properly." Owen told her.

"Sounds like a good idea to me." She smiled.

For the rest of the evening, she noticed how Owen was always touching her in some way, holding her hand or wrapping his arm around her. It was as if he was afraid to let her go in case she was taken from him again.

She wasn't complaining though, she needed the contact as much as he did. She was always hugging Luke and Lucy and sitting with them on her lap.

It was only when they ate dinner that the contact was broken. Gwen ate and drank a lot due to the fact that she hadn't eaten in a long time. Every mouthful tasted like heaven.

After they'd put Luke and Lucy to bed, Gwen wandered into the bathroom for her shower. She was shortly followed by Owen. She stood with her back to him. He stepped in beside her and wound his arms around her waist, holding her tight to his chest. They stood for what seemed like forever just holding each other, the water running but going ignored.

Somewhere in that time, Gwen had closed her eyes and placed her head back on his shoulder, just breathing in his scent.

"Are you asleep?" Owen whispered.

"No, I'm not asleep." She answered.

He slowly turned her round to face him and she smiled up at him, biting her bottom lip suggestively. He laughed and slowly backed her up against the tiled wall. As she went back, she went through the falling water. Owen watched the water run down the length of her body as she moved out of the showers path again. With her back against the wall, she pulled him closer to her by his hips. Cupping her face in his hand, he caught her lips in a gentle kiss. He trailed kisses up and down her jaw line then back to her lips. Her arms snaked around his neck as he rested his forehead against hers. They looked into each other's eyes before crushing their lips against each other's, all tenderness gone and replaced with raw passion. All their love poured out as they kissed and touched each other.

"I love you." Owen whispered between kisses. "Marry me again."

Gwen giggled but stopped when he pulled away and she saw he was serious.

"You want…to get married again?" She asked.

"Yeah, renew our vows. I was thinking…it'd be nice to have the kids there. We could wait until Lucy's older so she'd be able to remember it or we could do it now. When you…I thought about how much I screwed up our first wedding and it killed me because I couldn't change it. Now I can, we have a second chance to do things right. Plus…I saw how your mum and dad were when everything was happening and…it made me think about my parents. I was wondering if they'd changed over the years." He explained.

She saw a hint of sadness in his eyes as he remembered his childhood.

"Do you want to see them?" She asked gently.

He nodded and looked away.

"I just want to know why my dad walked out and why mum hated me so much. Maybe they feel differently about things now…if you say yes, I want to invite them to the wedding. If they don't show up or they still feel the same well…then at least I'll know." He told her.

"I don't want to see you get hurt but…if it's what you want then you know I'll help you and I'm always here for you." She replied.

"Does that mean you're saying yes?" He asked.

"Yes." She smiled.

Crushing his lips onto hers once again, he pressed himself as close to her as he could. If he'd only just started believing she wasn't a dream, he was certain she wasn't now. Everything felt too real, a good real. The feel of her soft skin on his, the sound of her small gasps and moans as he caressed her, her unique scent taking him over. His imagination wasn't good enough to invent the electric current flowing through him. Gwen had spent so much time alone in the dark, that even the smallest of touches sent her crazy. He grabbed her thigh and wrapped her leg around his waist while placing open mouthed kisses down her neck and shoulder. Closing her eyes, she tilted her head back, giving him more access, and moaned loudly. Making sure her arms were secured around his neck, he lifted her other leg off the floor and locked it around his waist.

An hour later, she leant all her weight back on the wall as Owen placed her legs back on the floor. He slumped against her, his head buried in her neck. Her arms still clung tightly around his neck, keeping her up.

"That was fucking amazing." He whispered. She nodded, her eyes heavy from exhaustion and her breathing slowly returning to normal. When Owen pulled away, he chuckled at her. "I think we should have that shower now and then get you to bed."

"Yeah…shower…good idea…" She mumbled, sleepily.

Owen wrapped his arm around her waist and supported her weight. He guided her under the hot spray and washed her gently.

When he'd finished, he wrapped her in her robe and carried her back to their room.

"I'll be right back. I'm just going to go have a wash myself." He told her as he placed her on the bed.

She mumbled something as her eyes drifted shut. When he looked down at her, he saw the image of her lying on the autopsy table, cold and unmoving. He forced the image out of his mind as he made his way back to the bathroom, his fists clenched at his sides. It would be a long time before that image would disappear but he didn't want to linger on the past.

After his shower, he returned to Gwen, wrapped in a towel. She'd managed to get herself changed into one of Owen's shirts, though it was inside out and the wrong way round. He watched her sleeping for a while before pulling on a pair of boxers and climbing in next to her. Gwen rolled towards him and rested her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and kissed the top of her head.

"Owen…love you." She whispered in her sleep.

"I love you too." He replied.

Stroking her arm, he smiled as he heard her sigh. He was almost too afraid to sleep in case she stopped breathing and he lost her all over again. He knew he was being silly but he loved her so much. Fighting with exhaustion, he thought about how his life had changed since joining Torchwood.

In the beginning, though Jack had saved him, he'd still felt a sense of resentment against him. He didn't speak to Tosh very much back then, why he still didn't know. Then there was Suzie. He couldn't really call Suzie a friend, just someone he had an affair with. When Ianto joined almost two years before Gwen did, he'd found Ianto a little annoying.

Over the years he grew a little closer to his team, even considered them as friends.

Then Gwen walked in and the world around him stopped spinning. All he could think about was her. He secretly prayed that she'd remember everything when Jack retconned her. If not, he would have found another way into her life. The hold she had on him frustrated him so much. It just wasn't...him…at least, not after Katie. He'd tried so hard to ignore his feelings and he'd done so many stupid things he'd regretted. Like making her feel all he was interested in was shagging. He'd hurt her time and time again and it killed him.

When he thought he'd lost her for good, when she was almost driven to taking retcon, his world felt like it was ending. Now here she was, in his arms where she belonged, where they both belonged, after everything that had happened. This amazing woman came back to him again and again after everything he'd put her through.

Kissing the top of her head, he finally let himself drift off to sleep.

They were both woken the next morning by Luke running in and jumping on the bed. Gwen untangled herself from Owen and sat up, squinting at Luke through her sleepy eyes. Owen copied her actions.

"Luke, what is it?" Gwen asked.

"It's time to get up mummy." Luke answered.

Owen glanced at the clock on the bedside table.

"It's half seven in the morning." He groaned. "Go back to bed and try and get some more sleep."

"But I can't daddy, I want to get up." Luke whined.

"Alright." Gwen sighed. When she glanced at Owen, she saw he was looking at her in horror. She winked at him and turned back to Luke. "Just come and have a cuddle before we get up."

Luke crawled in between them and snuggled up to Gwen. She pulled the duvet up and over him. As she wrapped one arm around him, she ran her other hand through his hair. Owen grinned as he watched Luke try to fight with the closing of his eyelids. Soon they fluttered shut and Luke had drifted off back to sleep.

"That was just sneaky." Owen smiled.

"Yeah, but it worked." Gwen giggled. "He's never woken up this early before. I wonder what's got him so excited."

"It's you. He's missed you and he wants to spend as much time with you as he can. That's why he put up a fight when we tried to put him to bed last night." Owen explained.

Looking down at Luke, she smiled and placed a kiss on his forehead. Owen leant over Luke and caught her lips in a gentle kiss. Keeping one arm around Luke, she wrapped her other arm around Owen's neck, deepening the kiss a little. When she pulled away, they were both grinning.

"Come on, we've not got a lot of time before Luke or Lucy wakes up again so we should probably use that time to get as much sleep as we can." Gwen told him.

"Good idea." He nodded.

Just as they lay back down, Lucy's cries sounded over the baby monitor. Owen groaned and covered his face with a pillow. Though tired, Gwen was suddenly excited and slightly anxious about getting to know her baby girl a little better. She gently prised Luke from her and made her way into Lucy's room.

Her little face was screwed up as she cried.

"It's ok, mummy's here darling." Gwen whispered, opening the curtains before walking over to the cot. Lucy's cries stopped and were reduced to whimpers as she sensed someone in the room, finally giving her the attention she needed. Her big green eyes peered up at Gwen. "Morning." Gwen smiled.

She scooped Lucy up into her arms and pressed a kiss to her cheek. Owen entered the room and wrapped his arm around Gwen's waist.

"Luke's gone downstairs. He woke up a few seconds after you left." He sighed.

"Well the sooner the better I suppose. We'll get more time with the kids." She told him.

"Anywhere in particular you want to take them?" Owen asked as they made their way down to the kitchen.

"I don't know." She shrugged.

Luke was sat at the kitchen table waiting for them, swinging his legs as he hummed a random tune to himself. Gwen smiled at him fondly.

"Are we going out today?" He asked.

"We might be." She answered. Turning to Owen, she handed Lucy to him. "What does everyone want for breakfast?"

"Toast please." Luke replied.

"Yeah, same for me thanks." Owen yawned as he sat at the table and placed Lucy in her carry cot.

As she took the bread out of the bread bin, she felt the urge to put on some music. Her iPod stood in it's station on the kitchen top. She turned it on and flicked to her recently played playlist, too tired to go through all her songs and pick one to listen to. There was one song in the playlist, Neutron Star Collision. She frowned, she'd listened to more than the one song last time she'd used it.

"Owen, have you listened to this recently?" She asked, throwing bread into the toaster.

When she turned to look at him, she saw he was looking away embarrassed.

"A little…when I was on my own…it's our song so…when I listened to it…I'd close my eyes and I'd see us together again." He admitted.

Silently, she walked over to him and pulled him out of his chair. She put her arms around his waist and kissed him lovingly.

"I can't wait to marry you again." She whispered.

He smiled and kissed her again before letting her go back to finish making breakfast. She hit play on her iPod on the way past and sang along as she buttered the toast. When she handed Luke and Owen their toast, she set about making the baby formula for Lucy.

After breakfast, Gwen asked Owen to take Luke and Lucy upstairs to get them ready.

"Have you thought about where you want to go then?" He asked.

"No there's…just something I need to do." She answered.

He waited to see if she'd say anything else but she didn't. She watched him leave the kitchen with the children before grabbing her phone.

Dialling Jack's number, she bit her bottom lip anxiously. She knew Owen wanted to find his parents to see if they'd changed but she was afraid of him getting hurt. She needed to find out for herself before she let Owen find out for himself.

Jack picked up the phone after the third ring.

"Hey Gwen. How's everything going?" Jack's voice asked, concerned.

"Hey Jack, everything's fine. In fact it's more than fine. Owen's asked me to marry him again." She told him, beaming.

"That's brilliant." He laughed.

"Yeah…listen, Jack could you do me a favour?" She asked.

"Yeah sure. What is it?" He answered.

"I'd do it myself but we're not coming in today because we're going to spend some time with the kids. You see…Owen wants his parents at the wedding…but I don't want him to get hurt so…could you find out where they are for me? Don't tell Owen. I just want to know what they've been doing these past couple of years, maybe they've tried to find him." She explained.

"I really don't think I should. It's up to Owen to do this in his own time." Jack told her.

"I know but…this is important to him and I just want him to be happy. Please Jack." She begged.

She waited a few seconds and heard him sigh.

"I'll see what I can do." He mumbled.

"Thanks Jack." She smiled. "Oh and…please don't tell anyone about this. I don't want Owen finding out yet. I just have this bad feeling it's not going to turn out the way he wants it to."

"Don't worry, I won't say anything." Jack reassured her.

"Thanks again. Call me if you find anything and I'll see you tomorrow." She said.

"See you tomorrow." Jack replied.

She put the phone down and made her way upstairs to get herself ready. Owen came out of Luke's room just as she was about to go into theirs.

"Did you do that thing you needed to do?" He asked.

"Hmm…oh yeah." She nodded.

He frowned as she turned and walked into their room.


	22. Chapter 22

When they were all ready, they climbed into Gwen's car. Owen turned to her and took her hand in his.

"So where are we going?" He asked.

"You sound like one of the kids." She giggled.

Leaning over, he kissed the base of her neck and ran his nose along her jaw.

"That's not what you thought last night." He whispered in her ear.

She gasped as he lightly grazed her earlobe with his teeth. He chuckled as her breath hitched. Pushing him away, her face a deep shade of red, she looked over her shoulder at the kids. Luke was watching them curiously. Gwen cleared her throat and smiled at him.

"Luke…where would you like to go?" She asked.

The look of deep concentration on his face made both Gwen and Owen laugh.

"Umm…can we go to the park?" He asked.

She glanced out of the window at the sky. The sun was out but there were a few grey clouds heading towards them.

"We can go for a little while." Gwen nodded.

As she turned on the engine, Owen winked at her, setting off her blush once again.

"Nice save." He smirked.

Gwen scowled and refused to look at him as she drove towards the park.

When they pulled up into the little car park, Owen jumped out and grabbed Lucy's pushchair from the boot. Gwen scooped her out of her car seat and put her in the chair. Luke ran ahead of them and into the park with Gwen watching him anxiously. She felt an arm wrap around her waist as she was turned to face her husband.

"Do you plan on mentally scarring our kids?" She asked.

"No." He answered innocently.

"Well then I suggest you stop turning me on in front of them." She snapped.

"I turn you on?" He smirked. She fought for something to say but ended up folding her arms over her chest and sulking like a child. Stepping up to her so they were inches apart, he unfolded her arms and placed her hands on his hips. He caught her lips in his and kissed her sweetly. She sighed into the kiss, running her hands up his chest and snaking her arms around his neck. "Am I forgiven?" He whispered against her lips.

"Always." She smiled.

Pecking him one last time on the lips, she turned and pushed Lucy towards the park. Owen kept his arm around her waist and placed his hand in her back pocket as they walked into the park.

As they sat down on a bench, Gwen smiled as she spotted Luke playing with Thomas, one of his little friends from school. Looking around, she saw the boy's mother sitting across the way. She waved over and received a shocked glance from Thomas' mother.

"Oops. Forgot about that." Owen mumbled.

"What is it?" Gwen asked, confused.

"Well…Tosh has been taking Luke to school for the past couple of weeks. She must have explained…everything to them." He explained.

"What – oh. What do we do?" She asked, slightly panicked.

"Excuse me." A voice interrupted. They looked up to see Thomas' mother standing beside Gwen, looking slightly nervous. "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting anything and…I don't mean to be nosey but…I haven't seen you at the school for a while, there's always been another woman bringing Luke to school. She seemed upset when I'd asked her where you were and…she told me you'd…passed on."

She tried to hide the embarrassment and uncomfortable feeling that washed over her. Gwen looked at Owen for help. He couldn't think of anything on the spot and shrugged apologetically. She turned back to the woman beside her and smiled.

"You must have misheard her or misunderstood." Gwen told her. "I was very ill whilst carrying and after giving birth to Lucy so I wasn't able to get out much. I just recovered fully yesterday."

"Oh…right. Well, I'm glad you're well again." She said awkwardly.

"Thank you." Gwen smiled.

Thomas' mother left quickly to sit back on her bench. Owen hugged Gwen tight and kissed her forehead.

"Sorry about that." Owen whispered. "I should've asked Tosh not to say anything. Though, none of us thought this was going to happen so…I'm really sorry."

"It's fine. I should've known really. It's been a long time since anyone's seen me and like you said, you didn't expect things to turn out like this. Of course people were going to ask questions." She sighed.

He squeezed her gently, resting his cheek on the top of her head. Gwen shifted slightly so she was leaning into him and took Lucy from her pushchair. Their green eyes met as she smiled down at her. Owen took one of Lucy's tiny hands in his. She grasped his finger tightly but never took her eyes from Gwen.

"She's certainly curious to find out about you." He laughed.

"I hope so." She smiled.

They sat watching Luke playing with his friend for about an hour before a rain drop plopped onto Gwen's cheek. She sighed and glanced up at the sky. The thick grey, almost black clouds, had covered up the sun.

Just as she was putting Lucy back into her pushchair, the heavens opened and the rain poured down onto them.

"Luke come on. Back to the car." Owen called.

Luke ran over to them and they quickly headed back to the car.

By the time they'd all climbed in, everyone apart from Lucy was drenched. Gwen had placed the rain cover over the pushchair to keep her dry.

"I'm all wet." Luke complained as he tugged at his t-shirt.

"We all are sweetheart." Gwen told him. Her hair was plastered to her face. When she peeled off her jacket, she saw that the rain had managed to soak through it and caused her t-shirt to cling to her torso. Owen had to avert his eyes out of the window. "We'll go home now and you can get some dry clothes on."

Turning the heater on full blast, Gwen drove them home.

As Owen took Lucy from her car seat, she ran in to grab them each a towel. She wrapped Luke up in his and sent him to his room to change. Owen draped his towel over his shoulders.

With Lucy settled in her bassinet, Owen pulled Gwen into his arms. Her hair had become more ruffled and hung loose around her face.

"You'd better get changed." He said to her. "I don't want you to get ill again."

He wrapped her towel around her tightly and rubbed her arms. Just before she left, she kissed him gently on the lips. What he'd told her was partly the truth. He didn't want her to get ill just after he'd got her back. That would push him over the edge. The other reason he'd wanted her to get changed was because he didn't know if he could control himself in front of Luke and Lucy. She just looked so damn sexy. He curled his hands into fists as he went into the kitchen to make them all a hot drink.

Luke padded into the kitchen, now in dry clothes and his damp hair stuck up in spikes.

As he sat at the table, Owen placed a cup of hot chocolate in font of him with a few marshmallows. Luke had picked up Gwen's habit with the marshmallows.

"Thank you daddy." He smiled.

Owen placed Gwen's drink down on the table as she entered the kitchen. She'd put on dry clothes and was running a brush through her hair.

"Hot chocolate's on the table." Owen told her.

"Oh thanks." She sighed gratefully.

He quickly pecked her on the lips and left to get changed. Gwen sat at the table and pulled Luke onto her lap. He snuggled into her, munching on his marshmallows. She smiled at his hot chocolate moustache before wiping it away.

"Can we go out again?" He asked.

"Not today sweetheart. When the weather's a lot better we'll go out again. I tell you what though, you can go pick a DVD and we'll watch it together if you like. We can have popcorn." She suggested.

"Like going to the cinema?" He enquired.

"Yeah, like going to the cinema." She smiled.

Luke jumped off her knee and ran upstairs to pick a DVD.

Sipping her drink, she waited for her boys to return. She listened to Lucy's soft breathing as she looked around her.

Owen walked into the kitchen and sat next to her, wrapping an arm around her waist. Leaning her head on his shoulder, she sighed.

"Are you ok?" He asked.

"Yeah I'm fine. I just wish the weather was a bit better so we could have had a day out with the kids." She sighed. "Ah well. I told Luke we'd watch a film together. That'll be nice. Which reminds me…I'd better make the popcorn."

Pulling herself up, she grabbed a bag of microwave popcorn and shoved it in the microwave.

The kitchen was filled with the sound of popping and the smell of the sweet popcorn. Luke ran in and showed her the DVD he'd chosen.

"Can we watch Shrek?" He asked.

"If you want. Go and ask daddy to put it on." She answered.

Skipping up to Owen, he held out the DVD.

"Come on then." Owen sighed.

He took Lucy from her bassinet and carried her into the living room followed by Luke.

When they were out of the room, Gwen thought about what she would do when she found out where Owen's parents were. Would she tell Owen? Or would she go and see them first? He had the right to find out himself but she wanted to be prepared if she had to comfort him and be there for him. Leaning back on the work top, she thought about the different ways the situation would go.

She was so deep in her thoughts that she forgot about the popcorn and when the microwave started beeping, she jumped a foot in the air. Her heart hammered against her chest as she turned back to the microwave and pulled the bag out. Grabbing a bowl from the cupboard, she opened the bag and poured in the popcorn, glad that no one had seen what had just happened.

When she went into the living room, she sat down next to Owen and pulled Luke to sit between them. Owen held Lucy in his arms. As the film started, she placed an arm around Luke's waist and leant her head on Owen's shoulder. He kissed her forehead and put an arm around her shoulders.

As the film went on, Lucy drifted to sleep and Gwen could see Luke drifting out of the corner of her eye. His head drooped and she had to catch the half empty bowl of popcorn he had been holding.

"I'm not surprised they're both tired. It was an early start for them." She smiled.

"Yes it bloody was." Owen sighed.

"They can have a little nap until dinner." She said.

Taking the bowl into the kitchen, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket indicating she had a text. When she looked at the name she took a deep breath before reading it.

_"I've found them.  
Jack xxx"_

Arms wrapped around her waist from behind.

"Found what?" Owen asked as he placed kisses across her neck and shoulder.

"Jack…he…lost his keys. We thought he might have dropped them in the SUV but they weren't there. He's obviously found them now." She lied and flipped her phone shut. She tried to put on a convincing smile before turning around and placing a kiss on his lips. "I'm just going to call him and find out where they were."

It was true, she was going to call Jack and find out where he'd found them, she'd just forgot to mention that "they" were in fact his parents. As she walked past him, he slapped her arse and grinned as she hit his arm playfully.

When she was out of earshot, she dialled Jack's number and held the phone to her ear.

"Hey Gwen." Jack answered after the first ring.

"Jack, where are they?" She asked.

"Well…I'm afraid it's good news and bad news." He told her.

"Oh God, what is it? What's happened?" She demanded

"I think it's best you see for yourself." He answered.

"Fine, we'll be at the Hub tomorrow morning." She sighed.

"Ok. How's your day with the kids?" He asked.

"It's been quite good actually. We went to the park for a bit and then it started to rain so we came back and watched a film. They woke up pretty early this morning so they're passed out on the sofa at the minute." She laughed.

"Give them my love…" A voice in the background that could only be Ianto's mumbled something to Jack. "Ianto sends his love too." He told her.

"Tell him thanks and I will. Jack…you haven't told him have you?" She asked.

"No he doesn't know." He reassured her.

"Well, thanks again and I'll see you tomorrow." She said.

"See you tomorrow." He replied.

Putting the phone down, she made her way back to the kitchen.

"Where were they?" Owen asked.

"I don't know yet. He said there's good news and bad news." She mumbled without really thinking about it.

It wasn't until she saw him looking at her in confusion that she realised what she'd said and turned a deep shade of red.

"What?" He asked.

"I meant…he…"

She struggled to find something to say. He continued to look at her growing more and more suspicious. Failing to think of anything, she ducked out of the room, mumbling things he didn't understand.

She was definitely hiding something from him but what? If it was something to do with Jack bringing her back, he wanted to know. Was there a consequence to pay for bringing her back? Did someone have to die in her place like with Suzie? Did the glove only work for a certain amount of time?

He walked out of the room to find her. She was sat in the living room watching Luke and Lucy sleeping.

"Gwen? What's going on?" He demanded.

"Nothing. Why?" She asked innocently.

"Bollocks. I know there's something wrong. Tell me. Is it to do with the glove? I don't want to lose you again Gwen so tell me." He ordered.

She stood up slowly and walked over to him. Holding his face in her hands, she looked deep into his eyes.

"I promise you, it's nothing like that. You couldn't get rid of me even if you tried. Right now, I just need you to trust me. I promise you'll know soon enough, there's just something I need to do. Please, trust me." She explained.

He searched her face for any signs of a lie and found none. Her face was sincere and her eyes told him she spoke the truth.

"I trust you." He nodded.

"Thank you." She whispered and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

"But seriously, you will tell me soon?" He asked.

"I promise." She told him sincerely.

"And it's nothing serious?" He asked.

"Well…not in the way you think it is." She answered. He looked at her, confused and slightly more worried. "Listen, just forget about it for now ok? Come on, let's get tea started."

As she disappeared into the kitchen, Owen sighed in frustration. But at least it wasn't what he'd thought it was. That he was grateful for. Sighing once again, he followed her out of the room.


	23. Chapter 23

"Ok Jack, what've you found?" Gwen asked as she entered Jack's office the next morning.

She'd just managed to shake off Owen and she had no idea how much time they'd have. Owen had been stuck to her like glue all morning, making her think it'd be impossible to speak to Jack on her own. Ianto had been walking by with a tray of coffee cups left over from the night before. This was unusual for Ianto as he generally tried to keep the Hub tidy but Gwen supposed he'd been too busy with Jack to tidy. Anyway, as Ianto walked past the computer area, she'd quickly stuck her foot out causing him to trip. One of the cups went flying and cold coffee spilled out onto Owen's lap. Ianto stumbled forward but managed to keep himself and the rest of the cups upright.

"Ianto." Owen snapped as he stood up and looked down at his legs.

Holding her hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing, Gwen stood up and looked away from the incident.

"Sorry I tripped on…" Ianto looked around for the thing he'd tripped on and found nothing. "Weird…must've tripped on my own feet. Sorry."

"It's bloody freezing." Owen moaned.

"There should be some spare clothes in the lockers by the shower room. Seeing as we get covered in gooey stuff most of the time, I thought it'd be a good idea to keep a change of clothes here. Why don't you go down there and change your jeans?" Gwen told him.

Owen headed down to the shower room mumbling under his breath. As he left, she let out the laugh she'd been holding back. Ianto smiled and shook his head at her.

"Gwen Cooper." He smirked.

"What?" She asked innocently. "And it's Harper."

"Oh nothing…Gwen Harper. Just, next time you decide to distract Owen, warn me." He grinned and walked off.

Gwen watched him go in shock before turning and walking into Jack's office.

"Well, I found his parents like you asked." Jack told her as he pulled up a few files on his computer. "His mother, Sarah Smith, remarried about four years ago. Her husband's whereabouts is unknown. She lives in London still." He pulled Owen's mother's file up and showed it to her. Quickly noting down her address, she nodded at him to continue. "Then there's his father…"

Gwen noticed the hesitation in Jack's voice and looked up at him.

"What is it Jack? Where is he?" She asked.

Jack maximised the file for Owen's father and showed it to her. She gasped and held her hand over her mouth.

"He's…dead." Jack told her.

"Oh God. How did it happen?" She whispered.

"Apparently it was a car accident. He went out one night, got drunk and tried to drive home. Obviously…it didn't end well." He told her.

"Owen's going to be devastated. He wanted to know why his dad left when he was younger. What am I going to say to him Jack?" She sighed.

"Say to who about what?" Owen asked as he entered Jack's office.

Gwen spun around to face him and tried to smile. She saw he'd changed his trousers and was watching them curiously. Gwen and Jack glanced at each other before turning back to Owen.

"It's just…that thing I had to do. Some…police work. I promise I'll tell you soon sweetheart." She told him.

"Not this again." Owen mumbled.

"I know, I'm sorry. Listen, I need to go up to London for a few hours. Do you mind?" She asked.

"Well…how long will you be?" He asked.

"I don't know but it's really important." She answered.

She could see him thinking for a few seconds before he nodded.

"Fine. I'll see you when you get back then." He sighed.

"Jack, do you mind if I leave now?" Gwen asked and turned to her Captain.

"Sure, take as long as you need and…I hope it goes well." He nodded.

"Me too." She mumbled.

Owen's mum's address burned in her back pocket as she hugged Owen and kissed him.

"See you later." He whispered as he hugged her tight.

"See you later. I love you." She told him.

"Love you too." He smiled as she left the Hub.

Three hours later, she pulled up outside the address she'd written down.

As she cut off the engine, she stared out the window at the house and took a deep breath. From the outside it looked like a warm family home but as Gwen climbed out of the car, she heard shouting from inside. The front door opened and a teenage boy was thrown out of it, a woman followed him.

"Piss off and don't let me see you around here again you little bastard. If I catch you trying to break in again I'll rip your fucking head off." The woman shouted. Gwen watched the boy run past her and turned back to face the woman. This was undoubtedly Owen's mum. She had the same chocolate brown eyes and the same shaped lips. "What are you staring at?"

"Sorry…umm…are you Mrs Smith?" Gwen asked shyly.

"Yeah that's me. What do you want?" She asked.

"Can…can I have a word with you? It's about your son, Owen." Gwen told her.

"Owen? Haven't heard from him since he ran off years ago." She shrugged. Gwen bit her tongue. Owen had not run off and they both knew that. His mother had kicked him out when he was sixteen. "So what's up with him?"

"Could I…could I come in?" Gwen asked.

Sarah huffed but let her in.

"Just make it quick. I've got someone coming over." She told Gwen.

She led Gwen into a small living room and sat down on one of the battered red sofas. Gwen sat down on the edge of the other one and folded her hands in her lap.

"Mrs Smith, my name's Gwen Cooper…well actually it's Harper…you see…I'm married to your son and we have two beautiful children, Luke and Lucy. Recently Owen's been thinking about getting in touch with you. You see…he wants to know…why his father left and things." She explained.

Sarah snorted and shook her head.

"John Harper. What a twat he was. Always getting pissed. He came home one night, stinking of booze so I made him sleep on the sofa. Of course, he kicked off like he usually did and stormed out. Never saw him again. Heard he died a few years ago." She told her.

"Yes, he did." Gwen nodded.

"Good riddance." Sarah smirked.

Gwen looked at her in shock for a few seconds.

"Um…well anyway…Owen wants to see you again but…he doesn't…he doesn't know I'm here. You see…I came here to -"

"To see if I still gave a toss." Sarah finished. Gwen looked uncomfortable and dropped her gaze to the floor. "Well you can tell him…it'd be nice to see him again. I treated him awfully and…I'll never forgive myself for that."

When Gwen looked up, she saw the sadness in Sarah's eyes and smiled shyly at her.

"You'll see him?" She asked.

"Yeah…if he still wants to see me." Sarah nodded.

"He will. Will you be in tomorrow?" Gwen smiled.

"Yeah, I'll be in." Sarah smiled back.

The tough image she'd put on before had crumbled and now she looked like a warm friendly woman.

"Great…I'll bring him up. Well…I guess I'd better get going now." Gwen told her.

"Don't go yet." She said quickly. "Please stay for a cup of tea. Tell me about Owen and…my grandchildren."

"Um…sure." Gwen nodded.

She stayed until seven o'clock that night, chatting to Sarah about Owen, Luke and Lucy.

As Gwen was leaving, Sarah pulled her into a hug which shocked her a lot.

"Thank you Gwen. My son's lucky to have you." She smiled. Gwen blushed and smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow." Gwen nodded and made her way to the car.

As she pulled off, she waved to Sarah who was standing in the doorway. She felt a sense of adrenaline as she drove home. That was not something she'd been expecting. She hoped Owen would forgive her for doing this behind his back.

By the time she got back, it was half past ten and the kids were in bed. Owen was waiting up for her.

"Did you get that…police work finished?" Owen asked.

"Yeah, I did. It went pretty well if I do say so myself." She beamed.

"Good." He nodded. She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, crushing her lips against his. "You're in a very good mood, what's brought this on?"

"Oh nothing. I've missed you." She smiled.

"Me too." He kissed her lips gently and pulled away. "Gwen…do you still…do you still have your police gear?" He asked.

"I think so why?" She replied. Owen wiggled his eyebrows suggestively causing her to smirk. "Oh…I see. Owen Harper, you're under arrest."

She took his hand and led him up the stairs.

A few hours later, Gwen smiled at Owen as he placed Gwen's police hat on his head. They lay together in bed, the sheets tangled around them. Both lay on their sides facing each other.

"What do you think? Does the hat suit me?" He smirked.

"Oh yes, very sexy." She giggled.

He leant across and kissed her gently. When they broke away, he took it off and hung it on the corner of the bed.

"We have to use that more often." He grinned.

She wiggled her eyebrows and giggled. Tracing patterns on his chest with her finger, she looked into his eyes and bit her lip.

"Owen…I need to tell you something." She whispered.

"What is it? You know you can tell me anything." He told her, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear.

She held his hand in hers and ran her thumb across the back of it.

"You know how you wanted to find your parents?" She asked. He nodded and waited for her to continue. "Well…I asked Jack to find them for me. I just wanted to find out if you were going to get hurt. That's where I went today…to see your mum." Owen was silent. He turned to lie on his back and stared up at the ceiling, letting go of her hand. "Say something."

"Why didn't you tell me before?" He demanded.

"I told you, I didn't want you to get hurt. I had to know how they felt." She answered.

"What did you find out?" He asked, still not looking at her.

"Your mum wants to see you…and the kids. I told her we'd go up tomorrow if…that's ok with you." She whispered.

"And my dad?" He asked.

"Owen…your dad died a few years ago in a car accident." She explained. Owen's eyes closed and she saw him take a deep shaky breath. "Owen I'm sorry. Are you ok?"

"Fine." He answered flatly. "Would you have told me? If my mum didn't want to know?"

"Of course I would." She answered.

They were silent for a second before Owen turned back to look at her. He smiled at her and took hold of her hand again.

"Thank you. I understand why you did it and that makes me love you even more, if that's possible." He told her. Pulling her closer to him he wrapped his arms tight around her and placed a warm, passion filled kiss on her lips. "So, I guess we should get some sleep. Tomorrow's a big day for us all."

She nodded and smiled at him. As he straightened the blankets out around them she snuggled into his side and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Love you." She breathed.

"Love you more." He answered and clicked off the light.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Gwen asked for the thousandth time the next morning.

They were sat in the car outside Sarah's house, Owen's hand clutched tightly in both of Gwen's. He nodded and took a deep breath.

"I'm ready." He answered.

She pecked him on the lips and gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

"Come on then." She smiled.

Gwen, Owen and Luke climbed out of the car. Gwen grabbed Lucy from her car seat and led the way to the front door. She knocked on and stepped back so Owen was in front.

Seconds later, the door was opened.

"Hello mum." He said.


	24. Chapter 24

Owen was pulled through the door into a tight hug. For a few seconds he hugged his mum back before anger burned through his veins. His arms hung at his sides and his fists were clenched. When she let go, Owen looked down at her coldly. She looked back up at him nervously before turning to Gwen and hugging her.

"It's good to see you again." She smiled. "And this must be Lucy and Luke."

Luke hid shyly behind Gwen and peered out at her.

"Say hello Luke." Gwen urged. "This is your grandma."

"Hello." Luke said quietly.

"Come on through and I'll make everyone a drink." She told them.

As she turned to lead them into the living room, Gwen glanced at Owen. His jaw was tense and he glared at the woman in front of him.

"Why?" He growled.

Sarah turned slowly and looked at him.

"Why what?" She asked.

"Why did you kick me out when I was sixteen?" He demanded.

"Owen, calm down. We can talk about this -"

"No Gwen. I want to know." He interrupted. "So why did you?"

"I was…I couldn't…I don't know." She told him.

"No I know exactly why. You just didn't care." He spat back. "You might have Gwen fooled but not me."

"Owen, I'm sorry about what I did to you. I really am. Please, can we try and start again?" She begged.

"No. You know what, it was a waste of time coming here. Gwen, Luke come on, we're going home." He ordered and stormed out of the door.

Gwen watched him go sadly. Sarah began to shake with tears as she stared after her son.

"I'll talk to him." Gwen told her. "Luke stay here ok? I'm sure you've got lots of stories to tell your grandma."

Sarah smiled a watery smile at her as Gwen placed Lucy in her arms.

Gwen made her way out to Owen. He'd climbed into the driver's side of the car and was glaring out of his window at nothing. He ignored her as she sat in the seat next to him. Reaching across, she took his hand and held it tight in hers.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled.

"Just hear her out Owen." Gwen whispered.

"Why should I? If she wanted to make things up to me, then why hasn't she been in touch? Why hasn't she tried to find me?" He shouted.

"Owen, we've all made mistakes in the past. Give her a second chance to explain things. Didn't you always say everyone deserves a second chance?" She argued.

"Yeah but…this is different." He sighed.

"Is it? Please Owen, just talk to her. She wants to make things right with you. I spoke to her yesterday and she really hates what she's done to you. Give her a second chance." Gwen begged.

He looked into her eyes and she saw that his were red and puffy. She pulled him into a tight hug and ran her fingers through his hair. His quiet sobs filled the silence of the car as he clung to her like a vulnerable child.

"I'm sorry it's just…hard…" He told her.

"It's fine. It is going to be hard for you but I'm here for you. You don't have to do this alone." She told him.

"I know." He nodded.

"Are you ready to go back in?" She asked.

He nodded slowly and smiled weakly at her.

"Yeah…let's do this." He smiled.

She held his hand tight as they walked back up to the door.

"You won't regret this." She smiled as they stepped into the hallway.

His mum was sat in the living room talking to Luke. Lucy was in her arms. Sarah looked up them as they entered the room, her eyes lingering on Owen.

"Owen…" She started to say.

"No it's alright. I'm sorry…I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. Can we start again?" He asked.

Gwen smiled at him proudly as his mum smiled too and nodded at him.

"Of course we can and I'm sorry, for everything. You have every right to be angry at me. What I did to you was terrible and I can never forgive myself." She told him.

Owen sat down on the seat next to her and held her hand. Gwen suddenly felt like she was intruding. They needed time alone together to cement things over again.

"Erm…Luke, come with me for a while yeah? I'll take the kids out for a bit." She told them.

Taking Lucy from Owen's mum, she winked at her and left the house with the kids.

An uncomfortable silence filled the room. Both shifted slightly and looked up at each other shyly. Then all of a sudden, they were hugging each other tight and crying into each other's shoulders. When they broke away, Owen laughed and shook his head.

"Look at us, we haven't seen each other for years and we waste our time crying." He laughed.

"Yeah…um…do you want a cup of tea?" She asked.

"Yeah thanks." He nodded.

He followed her into the tiny kitchen and leant against the work top as she made the teas.

"So…where do you want to start?" She asked.

"I guess…why did dad leave?" He asked.

"He was always drinking. Every time you saw him, he had a drink in his hand. I tried to talk to him about it more than once but…he just used to get mad and lash out." She explained, shivering at the memory. "Then one day I'd had enough. He came home pissed out of his head and I told him to sleep on the sofa. Of course, he went overboard and thought I was cheating on him. He stormed out and I never saw him again, not that I ever wanted to."

"Oh…but why did he think you were cheating on him? Were you?" He frowned.

"No but…I did. Just before I found out I was pregnant with you. He never believed me when I said that you were his kid. I didn't know for sure until I had the tests done, but you were. That's why he was always so hard on you. He said he couldn't love a kid that was someone else's." She sighed.

Owen nodded, deep in thought.

"So that explains his behaviour. But what about you? You were always screaming at me and telling me you hated me. Why was that?" He asked, some of the cold harshness returning to his voice.

"I guess it was because I couldn't cope with a kid and a drunk for a husband. All my life I'd been expected to be the perfect daughter for my parents, the perfect wife and a perfect mum. I never had time to just be me. How could I have been so selfish? Look what it's done? Where has it got me? A son that hates me and another bloody husband that's run out on me." She laughed bitterly.

"I don't hate you. I just never understood what I did wrong to make you angry with me all the time." He explained.

"You didn't do anything. Well…apart from be a little pain at times, getting into trouble at school and then the police." She smiled.

"That wasn't my fault. That packet of crisps and the chocolate bar just fell into my pocket." Owen argued.

They both laughed and smiled at each other.

Sarah finished making the drinks and handed one to Owen.

"So…I take it you moved to Wales." She said.

"Yeah, Cardiff. I moved to join Tor – this job. That's where I met Gwen, she joined a few years later." Owen told her.

"Yeah, Gwen was telling me yesterday. You're an evil bugger for picking on her like that on her first day at work." Sarah scolded.

"I didn't pick on her that much. It was just a little friendly teasing you know, to make her feel more relaxed." Owen shrugged. "What did she tell you anyway?"

"Just things…" She answered, giving Owen a knowing look. "Some stuff that's happened between you."

"Oh…" Owen looked away guiltily.

"It was my fault, I wanted to know everything." She admitted.

"Yeah well…that's all in the past now. Which reminds me, we're renewing our vows soon, do you want to come?" He asked.

"Of course I do. When is it?" She smiled.

"I don't know yet, we haven't actually spoken about it since I asked her. I'll call you anyway when we sort it out." He told her.

"Ok, that'd be wonderful." She nodded.

For the rest of the day, they chatted away catching up with each other and getting to know each other a bit better.

Gwen returned a few hours later with Luke and Lucy. Sarah fussed over them, making them all something to eat and making sure the children were always being entertained.

"You don't have to do all this." Gwen smiled.

"It's no problem. Besides, I've got a lot to make up for." She shrugged.

It was late when they left and both Luke and Lucy had fallen asleep. Sarah walked to the car as Owen carried Luke and Gwen carried Lucy to the car. She placed a kiss on each of her grandchildren's foreheads before turning to Gwen and Owen.

"See you soon." Gwen smiled and hugged her.

Owen watched her climb into the car, smiling.

"She's an amazing girl Owen, don't forget that. Look after her and treat her like she's the most amazing woman on this planet." She told him.

"I will and she is. I love her so much." He grinned.

"I'll always be grateful to her. She brought us together again." Sarah smiled.

"Yeah she did." Owen nodded.

He pulled his mum into a hug and kissed her cheek.

"Call me soon. Let me know when the big day is ok? Do you have my number?" Owen nodded again, Gwen had taken it from her file and given it to him. "Good, so I'll see you soon. I love you."

"Love you too mum." Owen smiled and got in the car.

Sarah watched them drive off before retreating into her house.

Gwen watched Owen as he drove them home. He had a small smile on his face and he seemed happier than he had been in a while.

"I told you it was worth giving her another chance." She said smugly.

"Yeah you did and it was. Thank you." Owen smiled. "At least we don't have to worry about my mum liking you. She's looking forward to seeing us renew our vows. You do still want to do it don't you?"

"Of course I do. Why?" She answered.

"It's just…we haven't spoken about it since I asked you and I thought…maybe you didn't want to." He told her.

"Owen, you silly sod. I want this more than anything. I've just had a lot on my mind these past couple of days that's all." She told him. "But now we can focus on this wedding. Oh God, wedding arrangements, the only thing I'm not looking forward to."

"Actually, when you were out yesterday, I spoke to Tosh. She's agreed to take care of everything for us. The only thing we have to do is turn up." He explained.

"Owen you can't ask her to do all that." Gwen argued.

"I didn't ask her she asked me." He defended.

"What?" She frowned.

"Yeah, I told her that we might be getting married again and she just asked me. She seemed really excited about it." He told her.

"I still feel bad for dumping all that work on her." She sighed.

As it turned out, Tosh seemed to be enjoying planning the wedding. She wouldn't let either of them see the plans and told them to trust her. Gwen's excitement was getting the better of her and she couldn't wait until the five months before their wedding was up. She tried to find different ways to peek at the plans but Tosh was always one up on her.

The week before the wedding, Tosh was about to lose her temper.

"All I'm saying is be at the Thistle Parc Hotel at one o'clock on Saturday." Tosh told her.

"But…isn't there anything you need help with?" Gwen asked.

"No, it's all sorted. Jack's giving you a week off for your honeymoon – which I've already booked before you start." Tosh explained.

"Can you at least tell me where we're going?" She begged.

"Nope. You can thank me afterwards." She grinned.

Gwen and Owen could get nothing else out of her for the rest of the week. They weren't even allowed to pack their own suitcases. She'd hidden them at her flat so they couldn't peek and get a clue.

It was the night before the wedding and Gwen frowned as she spotted Tosh sneaking Owen's lab coat out of the Hub. Tosh looked up and winked at Gwen. Before Gwen could ask her anything, she'd skipped out of the rolling door.

"So, Owen. Going anywhere special tonight?" Jack asked.

"No, we're staying in tonight. I'm not taking any chances this time." Owen answered.

He wrapped an arm around Gwen's waist and kissed her forehead. She smiled and leant into him.

"Ah, wise decision." Jack nodded. "Now go home. Do whatever you guys do at times like these. I'll see you both tomorrow."

"Jack, do you know where we're going on our honeymoon?" Gwen asked.

"Nope. Tosh only told me what I needed to do tomorrow. She said it was too risky to tell me anything else. I mean come on, I can keep a secret." Jack argued.

"Oh…never mind. I wonder if -"

"Ianto doesn't know either." He interrupted.

"Fine. We'll see you tomorrow." Gwen sighed.

Jack waved as Owen and Gwen left the Hub.

Gwen's parents had taken Luke and Lucy for the week while they were on the honeymoon. Mary had decided to take them that night as it would be easier for Gwen and Owen to get ready for the wedding.

Gwen entered their bedroom and walked over to her wedding dress hanging on the wardrobe door. She stroked the material and smiled. Owen stepped up behind her and wound his arms around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder.

"Tomorrow, we'll finally have our perfect wedding. Nothing's going to mess it up this time, I promise." He told her.

"I know." She nodded.

He gently kissed along her jaw line and she turned her head to capture his lips with hers. Keeping her lips pressed to his, she slowly turned to face him and snaked her arms around his neck.

As promised the wedding went without any incidents or interruptions. Tosh had decorated the hotel's main hall with white roses and white decorations. White fairy lights were wrapped around the columns dotted around the room, giving a warm romantic feeling. Luke looked extremely cute in a miniature version of Owen's suit. Lucy was dressed in a sweet little white dress with a pink ribbon around the waist and pink shoes. She was being held in Owen's mum's arms.

When the photographer asked to take a picture of the four them together, Gwen scooped Lucy into her arms and rested her on her hip. Owen stood on the other side with his arm around her waist and Luke in front of them. The photographer snapped the photo and smiled at them.

"Ok, let's do one more." He smiled. Owen bent down and picked Luke up, holding him close. "That's lovely and…there we go."

After the photo, Gwen kissed Luke on the cheek and smiled at him.

"Don't you look handsome." She grinned.

"I look like daddy." Luke smiled. "Am I getting married too?"

"No sweetheart." Gwen giggled.

"Ok, come on. It's time you were on your way." Tosh called as she walked over to them.

"But the wedding's only just finished." Gwen argued.

"I know but if you don't leave now you'll miss your flight. I sort of…booked it a little too early. Anyway, get going." Tosh grinned.

"Please tell us where we're going." Gwen begged.

"No, you'll find out soon enough. You can thank me when you get back but…don't give me the details." She laughed.

Gwen looked at her in confusion before shrugging. She smiled at Lucy and hugged her tight to her chest.

"See you soon my little angel. I love you." She smiled.

She turned to see Owen doing the same to Luke.

"You be good for your grandparents ok?" He warned him.

Luke nodded as Owen placed him back on the floor. Passing Lucy to Owen, Gwen hugged Luke and kissed his cheek.

"I love you." She told him.

"Love you too mummy." He replied.

With Luke and Lucy back with the rest of the wedding party, Tosh shoved them into the car and waved as they drove off.

******A/N:** Sorry I rushed through the wedding but I thought since they'd already had one, I didn't want it to be repetitive. Also I wanted the main focus to be on Owen and his mum.


	25. Chapter 25

******A/N:** This chapter comes with a warning. Contains scenes of the sexual nature people! Sorry, in one of those moods. =P

Arriving at the airport, the driver turned to them and handed them the tickets.

"Miss Sato asked me to give you them when we arrived." He explained.

"Oh, thank you." Gwen nodded.

He smiled at her and climbed out of the car to carry the suitcases to the right gate. Gwen and Owen quickly followed, excited to finally find out where they were going.

"This is it." The driver said, indicating the gate to the plane.

"Rome. We're going to Rome." Gwen squealed.

She jumped on the driver and hugged him tight. He patted her back and smiled nervously. When she let go she pecked him on the cheek causing him to blush a deep shade of red.

"I'd better…get going." He mumbled and left quickly.

Gwen launched herself into Owen's arms and he span her round. He crushed his lips against hers as he set her feet back on the ground.

"Come on." Owen grinned and pulled her towards the gate.

The attendant took their tickets and wished them a happy honeymoon as she let them through.

Throughout the entire flight, Gwen was bouncing up and down in her seat. Owen smiled fondly at her and put a restraining arm around her.

"Sorry, I just can't believe it. Everything went to plan for once." Gwen giggled.

"I know, it was perfect." Owen smiled.

When they landed another car was waiting for them. They were driven to a five star hotel in the centre of Rome. Tosh had booked the honeymoon suite on the top floor. It had a beautiful view of Rome and everything felt so romantic. It was just getting dark and all the lights were starting to turn on in the city.

Gwen stood for ages, just admiring the view out of the window. A knock on the door interrupted her and she turned as Owen answered it. The bellboy who'd brought their bags up handed him a piece of paper.

"This message is for you, to be given when you arrived." He told them in his thick Italian accent.

"Thanks." Owen called as the bellboy disappeared down the hallway.

He closed the door and turned back to Gwen.

"What is it?" She asked.

"It's a note from Tosh." He frowned.

He handed her the piece of paper.

"___Look in the suitcase. T xxx"_

Owen grabbed the suitcase and unzipped it. He pulled out another note and shook his head.

"What does it say?" She enquired.

Owen pulled a carrier bag from the suitcase and handed it to her along with the note.

"___Gwen, there's something in the carrier bag for you. Put it on. Owen no peeking. T xxx Enjoy!"_

Frowning, Gwen opened the bag and peered inside. She suddenly grinned and looked up at Owen.

"Care to tell me?" He asked, his eyebrow raised in confusion.

"You just…make yourself comfy. I'll be back in a second." She told him. "Toshiko Sato, you dark horse." She muttered as she turned away.

Owen watched her slip into the bathroom with the carrier bag. Tossing his jacket onto the floor, he ran his hands through his hair. He sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, loosening his tie and undoing his top buttons. No matter what the occasion was, he still didn't like wearing a suit. His shoes were the next things to be thrown off as he sat back against the headboard. The bathroom door stood opposite and he watched it curiously, wondering what Gwen was doing.

A few minutes later, the door opened and Gwen stood in the doorway. Owen's heart stopped and his mouth dropped open as he saw her.

Her hair was piled up into a neat bun with a nurse's hat perched on top. His eyes moved down her body. She was wearing his lab coat. The top few buttons were undone revealing just enough cleavage to tease. Her legs were bare and he wondered if the lab coat was the only thing she was wearing.

She walked towards him, swaying her hips. When she reached the end of the bed, his heart was pounding and he was breathing heavily. He reached out to pull her down onto the bed but she slapped his hands away and stepped back, grinning mischievously.

"Gwen please. I can't…" He begged.

"No touching yet Mr Harper." She scolded.

She walked forward again until her knees hit the bed and lowered herself down. She crawled over to him and captured his lips in a chaste kiss. Once again, he reached out to pull her closer to him, to once again, have her pull away from him.

"Gwen, I'm going to burst in a second. Please…" He moaned.

She stood at the foot of the bed and ran her hands down the edges of the jacket. Keeping her eyes locked with his, she slowly unbuttoned it and dropped it to the floor to reveal a tiny nurse's outfit. It barely covered her backside and was unbuttoned further than the lab coat was.

"Don't worry Mr Harper, I can help you with that." She smirked.

Owen swallowed as she threw the little hat across the room and pulled the pins from her hair. She shook it out and let it fall around her face. That was it for Owen. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her onto the bed. His fingers curled into her hair as he crushed his lips against hers. She tried to pull away but stopped as one of his hands ran down the length of her body and over her curves. He felt her shiver in his arms and she moaned into the kiss. As he ran his tongue along her upper lip, she parted her lips and he invaded her mouth with his tongue. His hands roamed over her body and under her dress. She pulled the knot out of his tie and slipped it from around his neck. Her hands fisted into his shirt before she ripped it open, her hands running down his chest. He growled as she reached the waistband of his trousers and tore the small piece of material that was her dress from her body. He pulled back to look down at her. She lay in his arms, completely naked, her breathing deep and her eyes dark with lust. She whimpered as he stood up.

"I'm just undressing. Don't worry I'm not going anywhere." He laughed.

She wiggled her eyebrows and grinned at him as she watched him pull the rest of his clothes off. He slipped back onto the bed and pulled her into a sitting position in his lap. This time when they kissed, it was tender and sweet.

"I love you." Gwen whispered.

"I love you too, always." He breathed against her lips.

Their lips met and they slid down onto the bed, Owen's body hovering over Gwen's. She pulled him closer as they lost themselves in each other.

The next morning, Owen woke up with a jolt. Something was wrong. He looked at the bed beside him and saw that Gwen was gone. Sitting up, he looked around the room and spotted her curled up on a chair gazing out the window. She'd wrapped herself up in one of the hotels big fluffy dressing gowns. She heard the sheets rustle as he moved around on the bed and turned to look at him.

"Morning sweetheart." She smiled.

"Is everything ok?" He asked.

"It's fine. I just wanted to watch the sun rise. It's so beautiful." She sighed and turned back to the window.

Looking over at the clock he saw that it was half five in the morning.

"Come back to bed, it's too early." He moaned.

"I'm too awake now." She argued. "I can't wait to get out there."

"Well, just come and lie down for a while then. It's too early to go anywhere yet." He told her.

She took one last look out the window before joining him. He held her tight as they lay together. They both managed to drift off into a light sleep.

This time, Owen woke first and he smiled as he watched Gwen sleep. Running his thumb over her cheek, he heard her sigh. She snuggled closer into him, smiling slightly in her sleep. He trailed small kisses along her jaw and listened to the small purr like noises she was making. She wasn't quite awake yet but he knew it wouldn't take much longer.

As he ran a hand down her spine, she shivered and when his hand rested at the small of her back, her eyes fluttered open.

"I thought you wanted to go back to sleep." She smiled sleepily.

"I did…but I'm ready to get up now." He answered, peppering her face with kisses and saving her lips for last.

"And what makes you think I am?" She asked.

He pushed the robe from her shoulders and kissed his way along them. Her eyes closed and she gasped as he nibbled lightly on her neck. She curled her fingers into his hair as he undid the tie on her robe. He pulled back grinning.

"Shower?" He asked.

She nodded as he pulled her up and led her into the bathroom.

When they finally left the hotel room that morning, they headed out to a little café for breakfast. They sat across from each other, smiling secretively. Gwen sipped her cappuccino and smiled.

"Ianto's got competition." She grinned.

"Yeah, this Italian stuff's not bad. It's better than I thought it was going to be." He nodded.

A waiter cleaning a table near to them shot Owen a dirty look. Gwen smiled apologetically at him and turned to scowl at Owen.

"Owen, this is our first full day here so could you please at least try not to offend anyone." She hissed.

"Sorry." He mumbled. "I was only saying…"

She glared at him and he shut up quickly.

"Before we go anywhere, I just want to ring a few people." She told him as she pulled her phone out of her pocket.

"Like who?" Owen asked.

"My parents, I just want to check on the kids. I want to call Tosh too." She answered.

As she dialled, Owen got up and took the seat next to her. He placed his hand on her thigh and stroked it lazily.

"Hello." Her mum answered.

"Hey mum, it's me Gwen." She replied.

"Oh, hello sweetheart. How's the honeymoon going?" Her mum asked.

"It's been pretty good so far." She answered and winked at Owen. "Rome's so beautiful. How are the kids though?"

"They're fine." Gwen heard a little voice in the background and smiled at Owen. "Yes, it's mummy. Do you want to speak to her?" Her mum asked.

She heard the sound of the phone being passed over.

"Mummy?" Luke asked.

"Hey sweetheart. How are you?" Gwen asked.

"I'm ok." Luke answered.

"How's Lucy?" Gwen asked.

"She's ok too." He replied. "We miss you mummy, and daddy."

"We miss you too. We love you lots and lots and lots." Gwen told him.

"Love you too, lots and lots and lots." Luke replied.

"We'll see you soon sweetheart ok." Gwen smiled.

"Bye mummy." He called.

Gwen put the phone down and smiled sadly at Owen. He pulled her into his chest and hugged her tight.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"I hate being away from them. Especially after…" She mumbled. Running a comforting hand up and down her back, he kissed the top of her head. They sat like this until Gwen pulled away with a sigh. "Better ring Tosh."

He let her go but kept his hand on her thigh.

Tosh answered on the second ring.

"Hey Gwen, I've been waiting for you to call me. So…how's it going?" She asked.

Gwen knew there would be a grin on Tosh's face and she smiled at the thought.

"Tosh, it's beautiful. Thank you so much. We owe you one." Gwen told her.

"It was nothing. You don't owe me anything apart from the satisfaction of knowing you're having a good time." Tosh replied, the hint in her voice was completely obvious.

Owen could hear Tosh's replies over the phone. He smirked and ran his finger along Gwen's inner thigh. A small gasp escaped her lips and a light blush tinged her cheeks. She tried to concentrate on the conversation with Tosh.

"Yeah, we're having a great time. You're a dark horse Toshiko." Gwen smiled. "Where did you get that idea?"

"I don't know. I guess it's because Owen's sort of a doctor –"

"I'm not 'sort of a doctor', I ___am_ a doctor." Owen argued, offended.

Tosh laughed over the phone.

"Ok, because Owen 'is' a doctor I just…put two and two together." She told her.

"Well thank you Tosh, it was amazing. Probably one of the best nights." Gwen replied.

Owen smiled smugly and nodded along with her.

"Well, it's only been one night." Tosh giggled.

"You bet it has." Owen whispered in Gwen's ear.

She jumped, not knowing he was that close. He brushed her hair out of the way and trailed kisses along her neck, gently brushing over the purple marks he'd left the previous night. Gwen hardly heard Tosh on the phone as she was lost in the effects of Owen's actions.

"Gwen? Are you still there?" Tosh called.

"Umm…yeah…I'm still here." Gwen mumbled.

"I said you can still get a lot of use out of that outfit." Tosh giggled.

"Actually…I think Owen's ripped it. He got a bit over excited and –"

"Spare me the details." Tosh interrupted.

Gwen laughed and pushed Owen away as his hands wandered under her jacket. He motioned for the phone as he sat back.

"I think Owen wants to speak to you." Gwen told her.

He took the phone from her and flashed her a cheeky grin.

"Hey Tosh, just wanted to thank you. Next time we decided to do role play, we're coming to you for ideas." He told her.

He tried to duck as Gwen's hand flew towards him but it was too late. She smacked him over the back of the head. He yelped in pain and gave Gwen a wounded look. Tosh giggled on the other end of the phone.

"I'll leave you two to it. Enjoy the rest of your week." She said and put the phone down.

Owen passed the phone back to Gwen, still pouting.

"What was that for?" He asked.

"I do not wish to discuss that side of our sex life with Tosh." Gwen told him.

"Sorry. You have to admit though, she did come up with an amazing idea." Owen smirked.

Gwen rolled her eyes and stood up.

"Come on, we'd better get going if we don't want to spend the rest of our week sitting here." She sighed.

As he stood up, he took her hand in his and gently kissed it.

"I love you." He said.

"I love you too, even though you drive me crazy sometimes." She smiled.

"Yep, I'm crazy. Crazy about you." He told her, holding her face in one of his hands.

They stood gazing into each other's eyes. Owen lightly pressed his lips to hers before pulling away and smiling. No more words were spoken as they held onto each other's hand tightly, fingers linked together, and walked towards the Coliseum. Neither of them wanted to spoil the moment. Owen let go of her hand causing Gwen to whimper at the loss of contact. He smiled reassuringly at her and wrapped his arm around her waist. She sighed contentedly and leant into him.

The Coliseum came into view and Gwen gasped at the size and beauty of it.

"It's beautiful." She whispered.

"It is pretty amazing." Owen nodded.

They spent the rest of the week sight seeing around Rome. Gwen had always dreamt of a romantic honeymoon and her wish had come true at last. In the evenings, they went out to fancy Italian restaurants and watched the sun set through the window.

When it was nearing the time to go back to Cardiff, neither of them wanted to leave. They knew it wouldn't last forever and Gwen was starting to miss Luke and Lucy terribly. She was anxious to see them which made it easier to leave.

The plane touched down in Cardiff airport and Gwen bounded out of the gate. Her parents were waiting on the other side with the children. Luke jumped into her arms and buried his face in her shoulder.

"Hey sweetheart." She whispered. "I've missed you so much."

When she looked over at Owen, she saw he was hugging Lucy tight to his chest and smiling down at her.

"How was the honeymoon?" Mary asked.

"It was amazing. Rome is so beautiful." Gwen told them.

"We're glad you enjoyed it." Geraint smiled.

Owen nodded and yawned.

"God I'm tired." He sighed.

"Let's go home." Gwen smiled.

******A/N:** Sorry it's a bit rushed! I just wanted to get it finished. Sorry! Thank you all for reading. I've enjoyed hearing all your thoughts. Thank you! xxx XD


	26. Chapter 26

******A/N:** I'd just like to thank those who reviewed and wanted more chapters! It's great to know that you enjoyed reading it! This idea came from listening to Matt Cardle's 'When we Collide', I have no idea why though! Hope you enjoy reading this chapter!

A couple of years later, Gwen sat on the sofa playing with her phone and staring at the clock. It was half past midnight and Owen still hadn't returned. He'd told her that Jack had sent him out to do some important work but when she'd called Jack an hour ago, he knew nothing about it.

This pattern had been going on for weeks. Owen would say he needed to go out to work and he wouldn't come back until early hours of the morning or sometimes not at all but Jack knew nothing about his disappearances.

She sighed and got up, heading upstairs. Peeking into Luke's room, she saw the twelve year old sprawled across his bed, his mouth slightly open as he slept. Smiling fondly, she exited the room and went to check on Lucy, now six. She was curled up in a ball with her thumb in her mouth. Her dark brown hair spread across her pillow. Now she was growing up, she looked a lot more like a mini Gwen.

Gwen heard the front door open and quickly went downstairs. Owen was hanging his jacket on the pegs when she appeared.

"Where have you been?" She asked, smiling nervously at him.

He turned towards her and stared for a few seconds.

"I told you, Jack sent me out to take a look at something." He answered.

She knew it was a lie but she decided not to call him up on it yet. Maybe he had a good reason for lying.

"Oh yeah, sorry I forgot." She smiled.

He nodded and walked past her and up to their room. She followed and started to get ready for bed.

"How come you're still up?" Owen asked.

"I just wanted to be awake when you got back. We don't get to have much time to be alone." She replied.

They climbed into bed and kissed each other goodnight. Gwen wound her arms around his neck and pressed herself into him. Looking up at him, she raised her eyebrow and smirked. As she went to kiss him again, he pulled away and untangled her arms from around him.

"Gwen…not tonight. I'm really tired and we've got an early start tomorrow." He told her and rolled over.

She stared at his back before turning off her bedside lamp and laying with her back to him.

The next few days ended in a similar way. She sensed a gap growing between them and it was rapidly becoming bigger as the weeks went on. Owen hardly spoke to her any more.

One night, she woke up to find that Owen wasn't in bed. Thinking he was in the bathroom, she went downstairs to get a glass of water.

As she walked past the living room, she heard gentle breathing coming from inside. Walking over to the sofa, she saw Owen lying asleep with a blanket over him. She hovered at the back of the sofa debating whether to wake him and ask him why he was there or to just leave it until morning. Deciding to leave it, she carried on with what she'd come down for and went back to bed. That night, Gwen cried herself to sleep.

The next morning, as Luke ate his toast he noticed the awkwardness and tension between his parents. Though small for his age, his knowledge and understanding was way above average and he came top in almost all of his lessons. There were tear stains on his mother's cheeks. Just as he was about to ask what was wrong, he glanced at his father who obviously wasn't bothered.

When Owen left the room, Luke put down his toast and watched Gwen. She turned and smiled at him when she caught him staring.

"Have you finished your toast?" She asked.

"Erm…yes." He nodded and got up to put it in the bin and the plate in the dishwasher. As he turned to lean against it, he went back to watching her. "Mum, is there something wrong?"

"No, no there's nothing wrong." She answered quickly as she glanced at Lucy munching on her own jam and toast. Gwen grabbed a cloth and went over to wipe away the jam smeared all over her face. "Why would you say that?"

"You just look upset. Have you and dad been fighting again?" He asked.

Lucy glanced up curiously at Gwen as she stared between them both.

"Lucy, if you've finished, go and make sure you've got all your things packed for school." Gwen told her.

Lucy jumped down from her chair and ran out of the room.

"School, school, I'm going to school." She sang.

Gwen laughed and turned back to Luke. Walking over to him, she pulled him into a hug and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He came just below her chest.

"There's nothing to worry about sweetheart. We haven't been fighting, we're just…going through a stage that all mummies and daddies go through. Things will be back to normal in a few days." She told him, trying to reassure both him and herself.

"But you've been crying." He pointed out.

"Oh…I'm just not feeling too well at the moment." She lied. Kissing the top of his head, she stepped back and rested her hands on his shoulders. "Don't you worry about anything ok." Luke nodded and smiled slightly. "Go finish getting ready."

"Ok." He nodded.

As he left the room, a fresh tear rolled down her cheek. She hated lying to Luke and she was saddened that Luke could sense these things. Children his age shouldn't have to worry about things going on between their parents.

The car journey to Luke and Lucy's school was a quiet one. Owen was driving and stared out the front window while Gwen gazed out of her side window, her arm on the arm rest and her chin resting on her hand.

Gwen waited until the children had climbed out of the car before she turned to Owen.

"Why did you sleep on the sofa last night?" She asked quietly.

"I was…I got too hot in bed last night so I went downstairs to cool down. I just fell asleep on the sofa that's all." He answered, not looking at her.

Another lie, Gwen noted. Why was he lying to her all the time?

"Why don't you talk to me any more? I don't just mean generally, you don't seem to talk to me about how you're feeling or anything. You're always going out to do jobs for Jack and coming home late. We never get any time together any more. Don't you like spending time with me?" She asked, placing her hand over his on the gear lever.

His jaw clenched and he swallowed nervously. Pulling his hand away from hers, he placed it on the steering wheel.

"It's not that, it's just…you know how our job can be." He shrugged.

"I do but you know Jack will let us take time off if we asked him but you never do. Even when he lets us have the day off or sends us home early, you stay back and say you've got paperwork or an autopsy to do. Why don't you ever want to come home and spend time with me or the kids? When was the last time you kicked a ball around with Luke or read a book with Lucy?" She sighed.

"What is this, the Spanish Inquisition?" Owen snapped. He sighed and glanced at Gwen. "Fine. If it makes you feel better, I'll get Jack to give us the weekend off. Does that sound ok with you?" She shook her head in disgust at him and turned to look back out of her window. "What do you want from me?"

"I just want you to show a little more interest in our kids and for you to stop choosing your job over your own family." She argued. "I'm sick of us playing second best to you."

When she glanced at him, she saw his face had crumpled and he was trying to hold back tears.

"Is that really how you feel?" He whispered.

"Well wouldn't you if I started choosing to do more work than to be with you? You don't even kiss me any more, or the kids. I haven't seen you give them a hug for ages. Sometimes I just feel…like you don't love us like you used to." She explained.

Owen was silent for the rest of the journey to the Hub. He swallowed back tears and found it hard to see the road through his tear filled eyes.

When they pulled into the Hub's car park, Owen jumped out and ran to Gwen's side of the car. As she closed her door, he pulled her into a tight hug. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder, her eyes closed.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered. "I didn't mean for this to happen, I swear I didn't." He pressed his lips onto hers in a fiery kiss. "I love you so much and I swear I'll do whatever it takes to spend as much time as I can with you and the kids."

"Owen I love you too and it means a lot to me that you're going to try…" She told him.

She thought about bringing up the question she'd had in her head for weeks but she didn't want to spoil the moment. It bugged her though and she knew she'd have to ask it soon.

"But…" Owen said seeing her hesitation.

"But nothing. It doesn't matter, it's just silly." Gwen replied, shaking her head.

"No go on." He insisted.

"It doesn't matter honestly." She repeated.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"Yes. Come on, Jack will be waiting." She said and pulled him towards the entrance. As they entered arm in arm, Gwen glanced up at Owen. "Why have you been lying to me?" She asked sadly in her head.

Owen kept his word until that weekend when everything went wrong again.

Saturday afternoon, they were sat on the sofa watching a film with Luke and Lucy cuddled up between them. Owen's phone started to ring and when he glanced at the display, he got up quickly and disappeared into the kitchen to answer it.

Gwen frowned and tried to concentrate on the film but she couldn't. She fidgeted restlessly and sighed a lot.

"Mummy can I have a drink please?" Lucy asked.

"Yes of course sweetheart. What would you like?" She smiled.

"Apple juice please." She answered.

"Ok. Luke would you like some?" Gwen asked.

"No thanks." He said.

Gwen got up to make Lucy's drink.

As she stood outside the kitchen door, she heard Owen's voice on the other side.

"I told you not to call me when I'm at home…I can't this weekend…it's complicated…look, I don't think I can do this any more…because I love my family too much to see them get hurt…yes I like you too…oh really…that sounds interesting…fine, I'm on my way." She heard him whispering.

Gwen stood frozen outside the kitchen door, not believing what she'd just heard. She walked into the kitchen and looked at Owen. He was putting his phone in his pocket and reaching for his car keys on the kitchen table. She started to make Lucy's drink and tried to act as calm as she could.

"Who was that?" She asked, hoping he couldn't hear the wobble in her voice. "Was it Jack again?"

"No it was…my mum." He answered. "She's thinking of moving to Cardiff so she wants me to go down and help her with the arrangements. I'll be back later tonight. She just wants me to go down there to talk about it tonight."

"Oh that'd be wonderful. She'll be able to see her grandchildren more often then." She said.

"Yeah…I'd better be going. I'll see you later." He nodded.

She turned to give him a kiss but he dodged out of the way and walked out.

When she heard the front door slam, she bowed her head and let the tears flow. Owen was having an affair. Her Owen. The man she adored and thought loved her back.

She left the kitchen quietly and stood in the living room doorway and watched her children sitting together, staring at the television screen. How could Owen do this to them? How could he hurt them like this?

Well she wasn't going to let him do it any longer. She ran up the stairs and grabbed a suitcase from the top of the wardrobe. Grabbing Owen's things, she shoved them into the case.

She was holding one of his shirts and staring down at it when Luke entered the room.

"Mum?" He called. She turned and looked at him, giving him a sad smile. "I was wondering where you'd gone." Noticing his dad's things inside the suitcase, he walked over to her. "I made Lucy's drink for her." Gwen stayed silent and continued to stare down at the shirt in her hands. "You're throwing him out aren't you."

Her head snapped up and her eyes widened. She tried to compose herself before she spoke to him.

"Luke, go back downstairs. Go watch the film." She told him.

Turning her back on him, she presumed packing Owen's things in the suitcase.

"Why are you packing his stuff?" He asked, staying put.

"Luke, please just go downstairs." She said firmly.

"Has he done something wrong?" Luke persisted.

She sighed in frustration and ignored him. Luke wasn't going anywhere until he got the answers he wanted.

Looking around the room, he spotted his parents CD player. He pressed play after making sure there was a CD inside.

Gwen heard the first few bars of Matt Cardle's 'When We Collide' and stood still. She'd fallen in love with Matt as soon as he appeared on XFactor. When he'd won, Owen went out and bought her his new CD for their anniversary. It was so romantic and she'd loved it so much.

"Turn that off now." She snapped, quickly wiping the tear from her cheek.

Luke turned the music off quickly and stared wide-eyed at his mother.

"I'm sorry. I just – I was -" He said quickly.

Gwen looked at him and immediately felt guilty.

"Come here." She sighed. He walked towards her slowly and she put her arms around him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you like that."

Sitting down on her bed, she pulled him onto her lap. He placed his head on her shoulder and she could feel it becoming damp as he cried.

"You said everything would be ok soon." He sobbed.

"I know I did sweetheart but sometimes things can go wrong that we can't control." Gwen explained.

"My friend Daniel's parents aren't together any more and he doesn't see his dad any more. Daniel said his dad doesn't love him. Does dad still love us?" Luke asked.

"Of course he does. Your dad loves you both so much and you can see him as often as you want. I'm not going to stop you seeing your dad." She told him. "I'd never do that to you."

"Does he love you?" Luke mumbled.

"I don't know." She admitted. They sat in silence for a few moments, just clinging to each other. "You go and choose another film to watch and I'll be down in a minute ok? Or you can choose a game to play, anything you want."

"Ok mum." He nodded.

She kissed his cheek and smiled at him.

"I love you." She said as he climbed down from her knee.

"Love you too." He smiled.

She waited until he'd gone downstairs before finishing off with Owen's things.

After she'd stacked the bags in a pile near the door, she joined Luke and Lucy on the sofa.

By the time she'd put the children to bed, Owen still hadn't returned. She tried to ring his mobile but it was turned off. She thought about leaving a message on his voice mail but rang off instead.

Sighing, she made her way upstairs. She went into Luke's room and shook him gently.

"Luke wake up." She whispered. Luke's eyes fluttered open and he squinted up at her. "Come into my room tonight. Your dad's not back yet and I think we need to talk." Luke got up and stumbled sleepily into his parents' room. "I'll just go and get Lucy."

Gwen carried her sleepy little girl into her room and placed her on the bed.

She sat between her two children and pulled the duvet over them all as Luke and Lucy snuggled up to her.

"Where's daddy?" Lucy yawned.

"That's what I wanted to speak to you about. Daddy's not going to live with us any more. He loves you both very much and he'll come and see you as often as he can." She explained.

"But what about you? Doesn't daddy want to come and see you?" Lucy asked innocently.

"No. Daddy loves another lady now." Gwen answered sadly.

"He's having an affair." Luke mumbled.

Gwen looked shocked. She had no idea he knew about things like that.

"Yes. He's…having an affair." She nodded.

Luke squeezed her hand gently.

As she watched them sleeping, Gwen tried Owen's phone again. It had been turned on since the last time she tried. The phone rang three times before it was answered.

"Gwen? I was just about to call." Owen's voice said. "Listen, I can't get home tonight. We didn't realise what time it was, you know how my mum is. It's too late to travel now so I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"I'm surprised you're even bothering to come home at all." She spat as she heard a feminine giggle in the background.

"What? Gwen what are you -"

She ended the call, not wanting to hear any more. Turning the phone off, she lay down and tried her hardest to get to sleep.

The next morning, Tosh took Luke and Lucy for the day so Gwen could have some time to herself and so they weren't there when Owen finally showed up. She didn't want them to see their parents fighting.

"I just can't believe Owen would do something like this." Tosh sighed as she herded the kids out of the door.

"Me neither." Gwen mumbled.

"Listen, I'm here if you need anything and I'm sure Jack and Ianto will help out too." Tosh told her.

"Thanks Tosh." She smiled.

She closed the door and went to sit at the bottom of the stairs, where Owen's bags now were, and waited for him.

An hour later, she heard his car pull up outside. She stood up, straightened herself and took a deep breath. He spotted her as he entered.

"Hey. What was all that about last night? Why did you say…" His voice trailed off as he saw the bags. "Are you going somewhere?"

She picked them up and shoved them into his hands.

"No. You are. Leave. Now." She said coldly.

"What?" he asked.

"I am sick of you lying to us. All those times you said you were working late, you weren't were you? I know you weren't, I've asked Jack. Last night, you said you were at your mum's but I know you didn't go anywhere near there." She told him.

"What are you talking about?" He laughed.

"I heard you talking on the phone last night so don't even bother trying to lie your way out of this one. I can't see our kids get hurt by your selfishness. I know you're having an affair." Her voice broke as she said the last sentence.

She crumpled back into her position on the stairs and held her head in her hands as she sobbed.

Owen couldn't think of anything to say. If he denied it, he would be lying and that would hurt her even more. If he admitted it, she'd still get hurt. The one thing he knew was that he still loved her so much. He sat down next to her and put his arm around her.

"Gwen I -" She shrugged his arm off her and turned her back to him, her face still in her hands. "Gwen I love you. I swear I never meant for this to happen, I don't even know how…" His voice trailed off and Gwen felt him stiffen next to her.

She couldn't help but look around at him. He was staring straight ahead, his eyes were clouded over and had seemed to have turned grey.

"Owen?" She whispered.

His eyes swivelled to look at her, the same vacant expression in them.

"I love her. She's amazing. I don't want to be with you any more." He said, his voice monotonous and not his own.

He stood up and walked out, picking up his bags on the way.

As he stood on the front step, the door closed behind him, he shook his head and frowned. Looking down at the bags in his hands, he realised what had happened. He wanted to go back in and tell Gwen that what he'd said wasn't true but some force was pulling him away.

Gwen knew something was wrong. The look in his eyes had scared her and the odd colour they had changed to wasn't natural. She grabbed her phone and car keys and dialled Jack's number as she raced to the Hub.


	27. Chapter 27

"So you're saying you think something is controlling Owen." Jack said as he and Gwen sat in his office.

"I don't think he is, I know he is." Gwen insisted.

"But as far as I can tell, Owen's behaviour has been pretty normal, apart from the affair thing." Jack told her.

"Jack, you didn't see his eyes. They changed colour, that's not normal. His voice went all weird. I'm telling you Jack, something's wrong." Gwen argued. The Hub's alarms sounded and they both looked out of the office window. Owen was just walking through the rolling door. "Please Jack, just talk to him or something."

Jack could hear the pleading in her voice and see the sadness in her eyes. He sighed and nodded.

"Fine, I'll talk to him." He mumbled. She gave him an appreciative smile and walked out of the office. Jack followed and stood in the doorway. "Owen, a word please."

Gwen and Owen passed each other and gazed into each other's eyes as they did.

Suddenly, Owen's eyes briefly changed colour and he looked straight ahead, ignoring her as he continued to Jack's office. Surely Jack must have seen that.

When she looked at Jack, he shrugged and closed the door. She sat down at her workstation and waited.

"Jack, if you've got me in here to lecture me about what I did to Gwen then don't. I feel bad enough as it is." Owen told him.

"I just want to know why, that's all. Why did you do it?" He asked.

"I…I don't know. I thought I was happy with -" He stopped suddenly and Jack straightened up in his chair, leaning across the desk. He saw what Gwen had talked about happen in front of him. Owen's eyes changed the colour of cold metal and when he spoke, his voice sounded detached. "I'm not in love with Gwen any more. I love Molly. We met in a bar and just connected."

"Owen." Jack said loudly.

"We talked for hours and we found that we had so much in common. We fell in love instantly." He continued.

"Owen." Jack shouted.

Owen jumped and shook his head. He looked around the office dazed, trying to remember how he'd got there.

"What?" Owen asked.

"That'll do for now." Jack said, dismissing him. As Owen left the office, Jack watched him in deep thought. "Gwen." He called.

Gwen jumped out of her seat and almost ran into his office.

"Did you see it? Did it happen?" She asked.

Jack nodded and looked up at her.

"You were right. Something's not quite right here." He said.

"What do we do?" Gwen demanded.

"I say we wait until Owen goes to this girl's house and follow him. We'll find out what's going on here I promise." Jack assured her.

Ianto was briefed in on the plan and he agreed to track Owen's car as soon as he left the Hub.

Gwen tried to make eye contact with Owen all day but when he looked like he was about to look back at her, he'd get that same expression and turn away.

Owen, finally left the Hub and the team jumped into action.

Gwen and Jack raced out to the SUV and climbed in. Jack was in the driver's seat as he wasn't scared to drive as fast as he could through the streets of Cardiff. The team had learnt to buckle up fast and hang on to the edge of their seats whenever Jack was driving.

Ianto stayed in the Hub and kept track of Owen's car. He directed them over their earpieces.

"He's stopped outside a house on Hunter Street." Ianto informed them.

Jack turned onto the street and parked at the end.

As they walked down the road, Gwen spotted Owen's car.

"He's in there." She said quietly, pointing to a house with a bay window and a blue front door.

Jack glanced at her and saw that she looked sad and nervous at the same time.

"Do you want to stay in the car?" He asked gently.

"No I'm fine. I want to see this bitch that's doing this to him. It's just…I don't want to go in there and find him doing something…intimate with her. I know it's not really him doing it but it still hurts to think about it." She explained.

Jack placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently.

"Come on. Let's go get your man." He grinned.

She smiled and followed him up to the house. They looked at each other and nodded once as they stood either side of the door, guns at the ready. Gwen booted the door causing it to slam open against the wall inside. She entered aiming the gun in front of her as Jack followed.

They slowly made their way towards a small living room. Stood in the middle was a woman with flowing blonde hair and huge blue eyes smirking back at them as if she'd been expecting them. Her generous curves were accentuated by the tight v-neck top and short skirt she was wearing.

It took a while for Gwen to notice Owen standing in the corner, staring straight ahead, not recognising either of them.

"I was waiting for you to show up." The woman told them.

"Who are you?" Jack demanded.

"I'm Molly of course." She smiled.

"What are you?" He asked.

"That's not really important." She told him, brushing the topic aside. "Did you really think I didn't know that you would follow him? I'm not stupid." She turned her attention to Owen and he walked towards her. As he stood beside her, she put her arms around his waist and placed her head on his shoulder. "Isn't he just totally gorgeous?"

"Not my type I'm afraid. What have done with him?" Jack shouted.

She ignored him and looked straight at Gwen.

"I thought I'd lost him for a while, his feelings for you are very strong. He puts up a good fight too, I broke him down eventually though." Then she turned her attention to Jack. She gazed at him entrancingly. "No one can resist my power." She breathed.

"That's not going to work on me." Jack said simply.

"Oh well, I don't need you." She smiled back at Owen. "I have Owen and that's all I need."

Gwen's jaw clenched and her grip tightened on her gun as the blonde reached up and kissed Owen passionately on his lips.

"Don't you touch him." She bellowed.

Jack caught her arm as Gwen launched herself at the blonde. She fought to escape his grip but he was too strong.

"Feisty this one isn't she?" Molly smirked.

"Shut up you bitch. Let him go or I will shoot you." Gwen screamed.

"Gwen." Jack shouted. He turned her around to face him. Her whole body was shaking with anger and her eyes burned with fury. "Calm down. If you want this to end well we have to deal with this properly."

She glared at him before pulling away and reluctantly stepping back. He waited and watched her for any signs of further violence then turned back to Molly.

"I love it when the girlfriends get jealous." Molly giggled. "The boyfriends too, depending on the form I'm in."

"You're a shape shifter?" Jack asked.

"Yes I am." Molly nodded proudly.

"What do you want with Owen?" He demanded.

"Well, I really wanted him to get me into Torchwood. You see, I know you've collected a lot of alien weaponry and I thought I could use it. I'm an escaped prisoner from my planet, wanted for attempted murder of the high priestess. I escaped and ended up here on Earth where I heard things about Torchwood. If I can get my hands on those weapons, I can go back home and finish her off properly, taking down anything and anyone that gets in my way." She explained. "But then I decided to have a little fun while I was at it. Why not create a little chaos somewhere else?"

"Well it's over now. You're not getting your hands on anything from Torchwood. Let Owen go." Jack ordered.

"No." Molly said simply.

"Let him go or I'll shoot you." Jack said calmly.

Molly stood staring at him, daring him to do it. Jack shrugged and fired his gun. The bullet went through her shoulder causing her to gasp in pain and shock. She wasn't expecting him to go through with it.

As she watched the blue blood trickle from the wound, she clenched her fists. She glared back up at Jack and screamed in rage. Her body shook as she began to change form. A few tentacles started to appear from her sides. One reached out and grabbed Owen by the throat.

"No." Gwen gasped as she watched her begin to squeeze the breath out of him. Molly's clothes ripped and fell to the floor in shreds as her form grew taller. Owen was lifted off his feet and into the air. "Jack, we have to do something. She's killing him."

Gwen aimed her gun at the huge blue alien in front of her and fired continuously. Jack joined her and the room was filled with an ear-splitting scream as the alien fell to the ground.

Owen's body slumped to the floor next to it. Jack held his arm out to stop Gwen as she went to run to him. He kicked one of the alien's tentacles and watched as it flopped back on the floor.

"Ok, it's safe." Jack nodded.

Gwen ran over to Owen and knelt down beside him. His eyes were closed and she could see huge red marks around his neck where he'd been grabbed.

"Oh my God. Owen wake up, please wake up." She sobbed.

Jack knelt down beside her and placed two fingers against Owen's neck, checking for a pulse. He watched Owen's chest slowly rise and fall.

"He's still alive. His breathing is a bit slow but he'll be fine." Jack told her.

She helped him carry Owen out to the SUV and placed him on the back seat.

"What about that thing?" She asked.

"I'll come back with Ianto and clean it up. It should be safe to leave it alone for a while. I detected a slight perception filter around the house. It doesn't affect us because we've been…acclimatised I guess you could call it, by the one around the lift but to any normal passer by, the house is almost invisible." He explained.

Gwen nodded as she stared back at the house. Sighing, she turned back to Jack.

"You take Owen back to the Hub, I'll get his car." She said.

She reached into Owen's jeans pocket to grab the keys.

"Aren't you meant to wait until he's awake before you do all that kinky stuff or is that not how you two do it?" Jack smirked.

She rolled her eyes at Jack as she pulled the keys out.

"Shut up." She smiled.

Jack chuckled as she made her way to Owen's car.

When she reached the Hub, she sat by Owen's unconscious form in the rooms usually saved for Weevil victims he patched up to recover and where Jack would then retcon them. She held his hand tightly in hers and watched him.

His eyes started to flutter open and he coughed and spluttered. Gwen put a hand on his chest as he went to sit up.

"Gwen?" He whispered, his voice groggy.

"It's ok sweetheart. You just need to rest. Relax it's all ok." She told him.

"What happened?" He asked as he looked at her through blurry eyes.

"I'll explain later, you just rest and get better." She smiled, tears of relief in her eyes.

"I don't remember…I just…remember…you telling me to leave." He told her. He thought back to why she'd told him to leave. His own eyes widened as he realised what he'd done. "Gwen, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do it. I love you so much, please don't leave me."

"It's ok." She smiled and bent down to kiss his lips gently. "It wasn't your fault. I forgive you. I love you." He lifted his free hand shakily to cup her face. She leant into it and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she smiled down at him. "Tosh brought the kids in to see you. We explained what happened but not in so much detail obviously. They're worried about you."

"I want to see them." He told her.

She pressed the button on her comms and asked Tosh to bring the kids down from the boardroom.

A few minutes later, the door opened and they filed in slowly.

"Daddy, are you ok?" Lucy asked.

"I'm fine darling." He smiled. She ran over to him and climbed onto the bed to hug him. Luke stood at the edge of the bed awkwardly. Owen gestured him to join them and pulled him into a tight hug. "I've missed you all so much. It feels like I haven't seen you for weeks."

"It's the effects Molly had on you when she took control of you. Jack said you were distant because she was trying to pull you away from us and make you forget us. She knew you loved us too much though to completely faze us out." Gwen explained.

"No one will ever make me stop loving you." Owen told them. She smiled and kissed him again. "What's your name again?"

Gwen pulled back and looked at him worriedly. He smirked and started to laugh at her as she stared at him. She hit him on the arm when she realised he was joking with her.

"Owen." She complained.

"Sorry, that was just too tempting." He laughed.

She sighed and shook her head.

"Yep, you're back to normal." She thought.


End file.
